What do crickets eat?

This insect has always attracted human attention. Moreover, both in an aesthetic and gastronomic sense. Residents of the Celestial Empire and the countries of Southeast Asia are considered connoisseurs and connoisseurs of six-legged soloists, and dishes made from crickets (probably from those that did not pass the casting...) are served on the table as a delicacy. In Russia, the measured song of a cricket symbolized home warmth and comfort. The mustachioed "master of the baked goods" was taken care of and tried not to disturb over trifles. This is not surprising when you consider that the crickets are eating crumbs, they are not disgraceful in the house, but they greatly reduce the number of much less pleasant "neighbors" - cockroaches and fleas.

Classification and habitat

The family True crickets belongs to the Orthoptera order, the Ensifera suborder. There are more than 2,300 species of crickets. The most densely populated with a variety of crickets are India and Madagascar. There are many of them in other regions with hot and humid climates. Tropical crickets are large and showy insects and are often kept in indoor insectariums for their exotic appearance.

The Australian king cricket is an insect the size of a computer mouse
Red larva cricket

Crickets have mastered not only the fertile tropics, but also dry, almost barren areas. The familiar domestic cricket (Acheta domestica) in the wild lives in the North African deserts, where there is almost no vegetation, and water is available only in the form of dew. The desert cricket does not disdain anything - any organic remains, including those that have long been dried up, go into food. He diligently rummages in the sand, looking for the eggs of other insects, their larvae and pupae (he behaves in the same way under the floor of the hut and in the dark corners of the basements, destroying broods of cockroaches and flea clutches).

Acheta domestica is the only one of all crickets that has been able to adapt to living near humans. This gave him some advantages - the species has moved far north and lives wherever people live. In the summertime, the homebody cricket still leaves the four walls and goes "to rest in nature" until the autumn cold drives it back behind the stove (or into the basement of a multi-storey building).

Fights for territory

The cricket is a very modest "lodger". Apart from the song, he does not betray his presence in any way. As a rule, only one cricket always sings in a dwelling. This is the strongest male in the area. Females are mute, and the rest of the adult males are expelled. Between the candidates for the role of "boss" there are fights for life and death - insects mercilessly torment each other, tearing off their paws, wings and mustache, and the winner often eats the defeated one. If the mark of the thermometer drops below 20, insects become lethargic, some species dig holes in the ground and go into temporary hibernation. The hot atmosphere will not cause significant harm to the crickets, but it can awaken cannibalistic tendencies in them if there is no access to water.

Humidity is maintained around 40%. It is possible for tropical species to raise their humidity levels - this is their natural environment. But dampness with coolness is destructive for any crickets - they are affected by infections and parasitic fungi.

If it is planned to breed insects, then cover the ground in the masonry compartment with a fine mesh and sprinkle it on top with a substrate. Females eat the clutches of neighbors, clearing a place - each for its offspring.

Tips:

  • crickets are most willing to lay eggs under the roots of plants;
  • The most suitable species for foraging is Melanogryllus desertus, a desert hermit cricket. This is an unpretentious fertile insect that does not have a tendency to cannibalism. The hermit's song, reminiscent of a barely audible murmur, will not disturb the night peace of the owners and their neighbors.

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Crickets are quick witted and distinguish colors. Once, scientists accidentally noticed that an insect is trying to move to the dark circle depicted on the cardboard (probably thinks that this is a hole). They offered the crickets several colorful figures, and they gave the treat only if the subject sat on the blue star. Soon all the crickets jumped to the star without a miss, and even fought for a place on it.

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