Breeding Crickets Bioactively - They Smell Better!

[@TylerLarbes]

I set my bioactive Cricket bin up about 3.5 - 4 months ago. I didn't have isopods (before I started breeding them) so I used about 50 mealworms 15 darkling beetles 25 dermestid beetles/Larvae and 4-5 superworms for my clean up crew and it is working out extremely well. The Dermestid beetles and darkling beetles are also breeding in the cricket tub. So the size of my cleanup crew is constantly growing right along with the cricket colony. I have even collected 15-20 dermestid beetles, and 75-100 Dermestid Larvae from the cricket bin and used them to start a decent-sized dermestid colony. The earthy smell is GREAT! Not to mention the fact that you don't have to pick through yet bin and remove dead crickets!!

[@JohanExoticGlobal]

When I tried breeding crickets in the past they always end up dying. But for some reason they often survive and breed in the reptile enclosures. So it makes so much sense to set them up bioactive!

[@Aquarimax]

The first invertebrates I ever 'bred' were crickets that laid eggs in my anoles' enclosure when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I see what you mean! So far, the experiment is going well! Let me know how it goes if you try it!

[@JohanExoticGlobal]

@@Aquarimax I might just give this a try. The next problem will be the noise tho.. lol

[@Aquarimax]

@@JohanExoticGlobal Banded crickets are much, much quieter than house crickets, but yes…there will be some noise for sure. 🤣

[@JohanExoticGlobal]

@@Aquarimax true.. But I'm used to dubia and red runners lol

[@GloW_Bug1]

Crickets like to drink water but they can drown leave a damp paper towel on a pringles lid. Give fresh foods no citrus. Carrot 🥕 fresh figs they go wild for them Will probably want 3 bin 1 for moms and dad s 1 for leetle babies aka the white ones 1 for teenagers Try covering the breeding grounds with 2 thick layers of wire. With little square holes that are clipped down . Ca😢use heat pad or heat lamp.

[@marislove5998]

Yes!! Finally someone talking about this! Crickets were my first pet and I kept them in a bioactive set up

[@nemielclogismord]

Many thanks to you for this extremely informative tutorial video. We have a small colony, because my Spouse loves their song, but it was not easy at all in the beginning. Now we are able to maintain our group and this is our 4th generation.

[@Mercedes_may]

Love this! I have some crickets left over from my frog who passed away and I made them a bioactive 10 gallon tank (his old tank) I would advise against adding Isa pods to the set up since the crickets will most likely attack them and they will also eat the eggs, I had dwarf whites in mine and that is exactly what happened I changed the substrate and just stick to springtails now and they are doing great

[@sandysizemore1828]

I have been trying to decide whether to breed crickets or not…so this was a timely video for me :)) Crickets are so easy to feed off and my geckos love to chase and eat them, but the smell is too offensive. However I never entertained the thought of a bio active bin for crickets. I’ll probably give it a go, thanks for the great info :))

[@Aquarimax]

I'd love to hear how it goes if you try it!

[@TylerLarbes]

I'm with you on unacceptable stinky Crickets!!! (Although, Instead of springtails, I have Dermestid Beetles/Larvae, Darkling Beetles, Mealworms, & Superworms for a cuc) But my bio-bin, or "cricketarium" (as I like to call it) has a very earthy, "Forest after a rainstorm" smell. If you keep it VERY WELL ventilated, not only is the smell not bad... it's dang close to being almost pleasant!!! Lol as crazy as that sounds. 🤣

[@frankdughtank8327]

Excellent Video Rus!!! I Accidentally Cultured Banded Crickets in My Bioactive Tanks Many Times and they Definitely Thrive!!!

[@PlecsExotics3]

I dont have springtails yet but my cricket eggs just hatched today! I'll definitely try adding springtails. Great video. Even if this video is old it is always helpful.

[@mehalla451]

I've had great success breeding crickets, they really do need a heat source. I use a 10 watt heat lamp most of the day and shut off the lamp at night before I go to bed. In the morning I put the heat lamp back on. Russ, I use a large bin with leaf litter and compost about an inch on the bottom for breeding pairs. I set up nesting boxes in that bin. Once the females breed and lay eggs, I remove the nest boxes into smaller bins with paper towel on the bottom and food and water and a HEAT LAMP. I make sure the nest boxes are damp and keep an eye out daily. After they hatch I mist them. and change the paper towel and keep the bin clean. I use the pinheads for my sling spiders, various sizes I keep for my tarantulas. Frogs and leopard gecko. I heard that crickets can give your reptiles pinworms I think it is... I haven't had any problems yet. But a gecko keeper suggested to use the ivermectin horse paste, just a lil bit to get rid of that. Thanks for your great videos!! Very informative!!

[@madmax566]

We need a update about bioactive cricket enclosure, please 🙏

[@Aquarimax]

yes! I need to do one. The short answer is that I am still using this method, I still recommend it. I’ve only changed the substrate twice since I started using this method…and it still just smelled like forest soil.

[@donteague614]

Great idea Russ! You could ad an egg laying container with moist substrate to harvest pin heads.

[@Aquarimax]

True, good idea! Close to 2 years later and I am glad I switched to bioactive. It works great, smells like forest humus,!and I have only had to change out the substrate twice.

[@bananafloat27]

This video doesn't mention whether you include a smaller container with vermiculite. do you just let them breed in the substrate and let the babies run around free?

[@Aquarimax]

I don’t include a separate container. They oviposit in the substrate and the newly hatched crickets run free. Bear in mind that this setup features banded crickets, and the system works well. I’m not sure whether it would work for house crickets or not.

[@bananafloat27]

@@Aquarimax thank you so much I will put this together asap!! Did you find over time whether the isopods were a problem or not?

[@TheDispatchercheri]

I’ll have to try this! I have two colonies of roaches (Dubia and Hissing Roaches) they don’t escape from the bin because I have a layer of a Vaseline type gel around the top of the bin. They don’t smell, chirp or jump.

[@12345eatacake]

Thank you as alway for your videos! I see from the comments your still using this set up, which it good news. I have been shop buying cricket and mealworms for year. figured its time to start breeding my own. Lucky your video answered my next question, what type of cricket to breed. I'm from the uk. Brown house crickets and black Field cricket are easily the most common at any pet shop. But there are a couple of uk sellers online that sell banded. So this will be my choice.

[@Aquarimax]

I recently put out an update video on my banded cricket colony 👍🏼

[@12345eatacake]

@@Aquarimax thank you, I will find that now and watch it!

[@MIsopods]

2 things. There are not many things I enjoy more than opening up my isopod bins, and just taking a big smell. More so on the days where I know I'm not going to be able to go outside on my walks. Next, I was propagating wild harvested moss, and even after two freezings, and one long soak, black crickets started propagating. Some of them are about as small as large springtails. I'm going to attempt to raise them!

[@emilywilson3963]

I have just recently set up a bioactive set up for my crickets!

[@rodsprague369]

I recall reading that Acheta domesticus is often seen co-habiting with cockroaches, so many years ago I put an inch of soil in the bottom of my Gromphadorhina sp. enclosure and added the crickets. They both seemed to do a bit better together, but the cockroaches did eat an occasional newly shed peeler cricket.

[@Aquarimax]

I guess a freshly molted cricket is a pretty tempting treat, but they must have left most of them alone.

[@rodsprague369]

That was my impression.

[@SupremeGecko]

Great video Rus. I've tried this and had better success. The maintenance is a bit more, and I go through crickets so quickly it's easier for me to setup bare bottom.

[@Aquarimax]

That totally makes sense when you’re going through such large numbers…when it is more about maintaining crickets short term than breeding them. 👍

[@chibicricket]

Will have to try this! I run a reptile rescue an like to breed my own feeders just to save money, but crickets have always been an issue so I order them monthly. If I can keep the smell down, that would be great!

[@sniperofthebrine1367]

So I don't know if this will help you at all, I've recently moved from breeding Black Fields to Brown Banded, and as of writing the first male and female have finally become stage 6, and have a tank set up to take care of them in a more natural environment rather than for feeding purposes. The last generation I had was able to breed just fine, but as of now there's the additions of Springtails, wild and domestic Isopods (I've brought some in from a bin I've got outside to keep ontop of any rotten food I may not be able to reach. I know that increases chance of spreading disease but they're still kicking after being introduced since June, and they've been getting along just fine with the crickets) and earthworms (to keep ontop of the soil and stop any mould from emerging from the mix of coconut husk dirt and topsoil). So far haven't had any conflicts whatsoever, but now the first pair will likely start breeding, I'm going to see whether the earthworms will affect the number of eggs that hatch (the Isopods generally leave them alone as of the last few generations raised, likely due to an abundance of leaf litter and vegetables) and the Springtails don't show any interest in them, but this will be the first time I've raised crickets to breed that will have shared their eggs in the same soil as said earthworms. Likely the worms will leave them alone as there's plentiful nutrition in the dirt and surface of the soil, but won't know till the majority reach adulthood and begin breeding. Usually have some that lay eggs close to the glass, and can range from 3 weeks to a month and a half due to time of season and temperature (I do use a heat lamp, which they love, and as it's winter the heatings been on frequently enough. They do hatch much faster than Black Fields though, and get along with everything hunky dory) The majority of the tank are stuck at stage four and five, with a few unfortunately still in stage 2, but as it gets closer to spring I'm expecting them to begin their maturing as par a usual cycle of time. Their hardiness truly shows during colder breaks as they've delayed their molts since late September. I do upload videos of them from time to time, Im planning on getting them a better tank to stretch their legs and increase numbers, but otherwise haven't had any issues. If getting Isopods, make sure to get them a decent shelter away from their light and heat source, and ensure to spray every two to three days dependant on how quickly the soil dries up. The damp soil WILL encourage mould if there isn't enough air flow or too much water is introduced, but have thankfully not had any issues thanks to the entire clean up crew teams in the tank. The only problem I've had so far is that the earthworms will obviously leave tunnels to move around the tank, and you MUST ensure the soil is moist enough as to ensure they don't dry out. Both the stage 2 and 3 crickets, and the Isopods, love exploring and settling in these tunnels, and thankfully haven't noticed any shortages or trapped individuals, but do keep a close eye on numbers when possible. As Earthworms are hermaphrodites, they will also breed providing there's at least two adults, and the excess can easily provide for the garden once you change the soil.

[@sniperofthebrine1367]

Additionally, if breeding for fun or any other reason than feeding, I don't personally recommend Black Fields. Whilst I originally started with them and adore their much louder songs, they're incredibly aggressive to everything, including their own brethren and children. One even bit me as I was taking a gander at em. The only benefits of Black Fields Vs Brown Banded is that they're easier to catch, and provide more nutrition to an animal if used for food. They otherwise reek, are far noisier, will attack anything and everything, and aren't that appetising nor as easy to eat. And not to mention theyre incredibly poop in terms of staying alive. If they don't get caught in something, drown themselves, or can't handle the temperature, chances are it's cos it died cos it was bullied to death. Brown bandeds barely smell, unless there's a pileup of dead, since raising these ones from eggs not ONE has been missing a leg, or antennae (maybe the odd shortening of an antennae but otherwise still there and recovered after moulting), their song is much more peaceful and enjoyable, they generally huddle with each other with minimal issue, their stage one nymphs can handle a heavy spraying (black fielded stage one nymphs tend to struggle in even a single droplet and generally die before they can escape), but are far more timid, much harder to catch (they hop, and they hop GOOD), and are generally more digestable but have less nutrients (generally due to size and having much softer bodies),

[@heller2535]

Very good video Precisely explained! I like that very much.

[@emilywilson3963]

I needed this video bad!!

[@andresbenavidez6830]

I was wondering if simply adding springtails would make sense... Thank you for clearing up my suspions!

[@hollyzmijewski2187]

So excited to try this!

[@berenthebear1313]

Could you make a video about maybe setting up a small tank that you could breed isopods and crickets. Is it possible to setup a tank and split it in half for each to breed them?

[@microvarium]

Great idea and very informative video, we'll have to try this method! Thanks Rus.

[@Quisite]

I'm going to try this for sure. THank you for sharing!

[@cabk.4538]

I will definetly use this for my first breeding setup! Not sure about sourcing good decomposing bugs but I think I'll source my dirt from outside so hopefully that will do,,,

[@Aquarimax]

You might end up with some unexpected issues with soil from outside…I’m not saying it won’t work, but you could end up with cricket predators, for example. I recommend springtails. Isopods seem to Compete with the crickets too much.

[@awesomeanimalswithalishav5874]

Ooh, I'm going to have to try this. I even have an old isopod tank with substrate but no inhabitants any longer right next to the empty tank I was going to put crickets in. I just ordered a bunch of crickets and mealworms because my mealworm colonies finally sputtered out after about 5 years (I think I should have added some new blood earlier) and I've never really tried to raise crickets since it seemed too hard to keep an area sufficiently moist. But with the geckos & beardies I already had and the ravenous new green anoles and house geckos I just got, I'm really going through feeders and my go-to, the hissers, just get too large too fast. I might try adding some to my "Leftover Tank" as well. The hissers share a communal tank with mealworms and superworms that I kind of use as a compost tank, the crickets might do well in the substrate in there, although they really seem to adore viciously gobbling down mealworms.

[@hh_herpetology3373]

Now I wanna try this Obviously, if you wanted to sell feeders as a relatively main focus this may not produce and be the most efficient, but if you’re breeding feeders just to feed your collection? This is like perfect!

[@Aquarimax]

Right! That is exactly the zone this will work for…producing a relatively small number of crickets with less effort and less smell👍🏼

[@TheWaffle777]

Definitely a great idea!

[@pumpkinchow]

Yea that’s a great idea and might try that out in the future. Right now I only feed crickets to my red eyed crocodile skinks and their enclosure is bioactive and quite large and luckily the crickets reproduce in there pretty well. They also started breeding in my bioactive enclosure for my baby giant African bullfrog. But I have friends that always ask for feeder insects specially crickets so I’ll probably start a colony and see how it goes. Might as well 🤷‍♂️ I already breed dubias, hissing, superworms, mealworms, giant mealworms, and springtails. I definitely want to try breeding soldier flys next. But thanks for the idea and I hope you have a great day and wish you the best 🙋‍♂️✌️

[@Aquarimax]

There is a certain satisfaction in a bioactive enclosure where even prey items can thrive and breed. Super worms are like they in my leopard gecko enclosure…I had banded crickets breeding in there for a while too, but the gecko eventually hunted them all down I guess… 😊 I should add some more.

[@cassiesattler2327]

This is a serious game changer!

[@Aquarimax]

So far, it certainly seems to be!

[@nomad-1776]

I order a case of 1000 crickets from JoshsFrogs every other week to feed my frog army. I might try this out to cut back on the costs

[@exquisitemorphs9308]

Great video as always man I have to try this for my geckos..thanks for sharing 👊

[@emilywilson3963]

I didn’t know all this about crickets!

[@puretranscending]

Next question crickets doing good. Started with a 100 wow they make alot lol any recommendations on how to get rid of knatty flies or fruit flies? The screen on the top of the bins keeps them in till i open it.

[@Aquarimax]

Are they fungus gnats? If so, look into mosquito bits and/or a Katchy auto-Magic trap

[@puretranscending]

@@Aquarimax probably they just look like small black specks. I definitely don't see eyes or fly appearance🤷‍♀️ the mosquito but is safe for the crickets?

[@DanielNelson]

I don't need a huge culture would the isopods out compete the crickets (eating their eggs)

[@lukeeyeamyourfather3488]

Isopods are a No. They will eat Crickets Eggs, and battle with Crickets! Rus did have one stray Isopod in his enclosure though! 😂

[@kiscrazyreptiles]

I've had major success breeding mealworms but I wanted to give some verity to my reptiles diet by giving crickets. I know they wouldn't live long but i was sad they all where dead in less than 3 days. Makes sence since they where in a small bin with "cricket diet" and egg crates. I'll be trying this next time thank you! Also where did you get your crickets, mine came from a small pet store but there was no chirping wich leads me to believe there where no males.

[@Aquarimax]

I usually order my banded crickets from Josh’s Frogs. 😁

[@aurora_dawn123]

I'm going to have to try this.

[@auroragibson8705]

I'm gonna try this. But I'm gonna try actually seeing if I can get crickets worms isopods and springtails to all like in the same bin and turn it to compost then be able to feed those bugs to my reptiles and amphibians

[@Darkit94]

Buddy I can spare you some try and fail time here : Morrios or buffalo worms need to be in low humidity cause they just convert your substrate into poop and humidity make it a hell of an outbreak. I've seen adult rot alive will being eaten by other. Don't do that pls. But springtails+isopod is a must to have in any mid to high humidity enclosure, do well with cricket assuring a safe renewable protein sources for their baby. (Already saw adult cricket "licking" a bunch of springtail like it was vegetables)

[@puretranscending]

Any updates a year later? Is the culture still going, have you learned anything new? Im getting ready to start a bin.

[@Aquarimax]

It’s still going strong! I have changed the substrate once since I started it.

[@puretranscending]

@@Aquarimax awesome I just started mine yesterday in an 80 qt bin with 100 banded crickets. I'm calling it the cricket mansion lol

[@coastalcoyote]

I'm gathering the supplies to do this set up, but I'm having trouble in general keeping my crickets alive. I'll buy 200 each week, but my dragon probably gets to each less than half of them. I give them food and water sources, plenty of places to hide, and now a bed of substrate. I also buy adult and juvenile crickets in the hopes that the juvies will live longer. No luck. They seem to be dying at the same rate. Might you give me some tips? Or anyone who sees this?

[@Aquarimax]

What temp do you have them at? Crickets directly from the pet store are often in rather sad shape. You’ll almost always get some die off, but temps in the low to Mid 80s will sometimes help perk them up. Subsequent generations will usually be hardier too. Keep in mind that this setup is for banded crickets (which are hardier) rather than house crickets as well.

[@coastalcoyote]

@@Aquarimax Thank you for responding! The temp is usually around 73 F, but we have had some cold days recently. I haven't gotten the heating pad yet, but I can put them in a warmer room and see if that helps til it's in. I believe they are banded crickets (based on appearance?) But that is promising that future generations may have better longevity. Fingers crossed I get the rest of the set up stuff soon!

[@Aquarimax]

@@coastalcoyote At 73 degrees, reproduction may occur, but quite slowly. It will speed up as it approaches 85 F or above. 👍🏼

[@DanielNelson]

With a set up like this is gut loading necessary? You probably still dust with supplements? I've only two small frogs. What do I do when the crickets are too big?

[@Aquarimax]

I do dust with supplements. The food I offer will act as a gut load to some extent as well. If you only have two small frogs, you might not want to do a setup like this…unless you know someone with chickens or other pets that could use your excess.

[@DanielNelson]

@@Aquarimax thank you for your response

[@CuttingRules]

@@Aquarimax freeze the excess and feed them to the ducks or someone's chickens...all birds would LOVE them! Turkeys, put them in a bird feeder outside, etc.

[@Aquarimax]

@@CuttingRules I sometimes share crickets with my chickens, and they do indeed go crazy for them!

[@nicholasdowdy8608]

It seems you need to start your bioactive set up with the army of springtails right from the start instead of seeding your way up to the level of springtails needed to keep up with the bio load from the crickets. I'm a couple months in to this set up and I'm getting an ammonia smell. I'm going to switch back to a non bioactive set up until i can grow a large culture of springtails and then give it another go. Any tips are appreciated.

[@Aquarimax]

I think it is worth a shot with the heavy springtail seeding, but I didn’t really do that (though the springtails reproduced like crazy!) what did you use for substrate?

[@shyanha]

I went for it, and everything was going swimmingly until this weekend. Suddenly 30 half inch crickets went AWOL. The lid has been on the pen, and they were there Friday. I have blue podura (teeny tiny, but prolific, springtails) and powder orange isopods. I have a question into the seller of the springtails, and from what I've read the powder orange should be okay with crickets. Has anyone else had crickets go missing? The tiny babies are still on the egg crate, but the half inchers pulled a Roanoke.

[@IVChan]

Hey Russ! The A vulgares that I collected from NYC are dying off one by one. Today I lost the biggest one I had. I've kept the enclosure half wet, half dry, and followed your vent suggestions. It's gotten hot in Puerto Rico recently (sustained 90+ F) and I'm worried none is going to make it. Could you please give me some pointers? Right now I've got their container floating on room temp water (as to not temperature shock them) and in front of a fan... Should that help or is it the care I'm giving them?

[@IVChan]

Forgot to mention. I've given them dried grass cuttings for food and just fed them some decomposing lettuce and fish pellets

[@Aquarimax]

Those are pretty high temps… Do you have access to phase 22 packs? Also, is it possible the grass clippings or the lettuce are contamination with pesticides?

[@kitsune0rei]

I mostly have access to house crickets. I at once point was breeding them ok, but I lost patience with it. I'm not sure how I did it really, I think at the time I had more patience because I was figuring it out, and I had fewer other mouths to attend to. I instead would buy what I needed for the week at the shop. I have more limited access to banded crickets, I get them during the reptile shows, but much prefer them since most of my hungry mouths are spiders and their smaller and more varied sizes are preferable, plus their hardiness is so much better. I think I will give a go at a bioactive setup with the banded crickets I have, since I would like to continue to have them. They aren't mature, but next time I'll pick up some older ones. I usually pick up pinheads or smalls, and am able to make a container of them last a long time just by adding a small cup of food and a bottlecap of water with crystals. It's still easy to buy a bunch of adult house crickets to feed to my monitor lizard, since he'll eat those the same day (since they're bigger).

[@kitsune0rei]

Ok I started a bioactive setup in an empty bin I had :D Looking forward to seeing how it goes. I don't mine treating the banded crickets kinda more like pets. I treat my darkling beetles kinda like pets.

[@kitsune0rei]

I just wanted to post a follow up. I did only a kritter keeper cricket bin to start, and it took a while since the crickets I had were still small. I put a batch in and just fed and watered them, and kept the soil moist. I just noticed a bunch of baby crickets recently! So success :) I hope my colony thrives and I get more.

[@bugloverspiderlover8490]

I unintentionally bred crickets,as they laid eggs in my skink tank,luckily I use the babies as food for tiny spiders like the wolf spiders that have babies.

[@devilbabyh7424]

I'm starting going to breed some for my new frog

[@devilbabyh7424]

How u no if the girls are ready to laying eggs when I get them at the store

[@Johnny2Fingers00]

I am so gonna try this

[@Aquarimax]

It’s still working well for me! 👍🏼

[@pabrekim]

Isn't the substrate for springtails too humid for crickets?

[@Aquarimax]

It depends on the species of springtails. These have worked well in this bin.

[@zer0coolninja887]

fire video

[@Aquarimax]

Thanks!

[@buddismackit]

Any updates on the smell 7 months later?

[@Aquarimax]

I would say it is a success, odor wise. The main issues I have had are Pyralis moths laying eggs in the substrate, and in the winter , despite the heat mat, the lower temperatures reduce production.

[@dannysan626]

I just put together a whole culture together for these guys, now I wait, and possibly convert the setup to this bioactive method if the smell is actually that bad for me.

[@Aquarimax]

I am really glad I went bioactive , but I used the traditional method for years first with success. Plenty of ventilation reduces the odor.

[@dannysan626]

@@Aquarimax that's my next goal, because having to go through and take out all the dead crickets is going to be annoying, I'm looking into this setup you have here, but I want something more... Dry friendly, so I think I'll try the opposite spectrum in a controlled test, and see if I can run 3 different types and use my favorite one! God I love your videos, they get me thinking haha

[@Aquarimax]

@@dannysan626 let me know what you end up using! I keep most of the substrate on the dry side, except for the egglaying site near the heat panel.

[@dannysan626]

@@Aquarimax lesser mealworms, and mealworms are what I use for dry enclosures. I feel like they are similar to isopods because they eat anything voraciously, and also the only thing is that you might get little darkling beetles, but if they cycle in the tank, that has always proved to be very beneficial. It doesn't work ALL the time, because I for some reason cannot get them to survive in my blue tongue skinks tank, and I used the lesser variants and they also disappeared. But I will def let you know.

[@DylonCorp]

I'm sorry I looked for the answer to this but can't see it, why can't you cultivate dubias?

[@Aquarimax]

My wife has asked me not to keep Dubias at home 😁

[@DylonCorp]

@@Aquarimax ah I thought it might be a zoning thing I should check for lol. Good on you for honoring her concerns

[@Aquarimax]

@@DylonCorp there are places Dubias aren’t legal, but in my case. It’s just respecting my wife’s wishes. 😁

[@angelsbynoemi]

Oh wow i was watching your previous video on this topic and was about to ask “have you tried a bioactive enclosure for crickets.?😂😂😂 then i found this video! By beneficial bacteria are you talking about Mycorrhizal?

[@Aquarimax]

Well, mycorrhizae are beneficial, but they are fungal rather than bacterial. They may play a role too.

[@angelsbynoemi]

@@Aquarimax thank you! i will try this set up for sure

[@seansspoods9521]

I tried breeding crickets for my T's (we generally have brown or silent in the uk) but never managed to get anywhere, i started putting them onto a substrate like yours, found they lived longer and started mating and laying eggs, producing young, but the young never survive, any idea why ?

[@Aquarimax]

Is the substrate too moist or too dry? What is the temperature in the bin?

[@seansspoods9521]

@@Aquarimax I sprayed one end about twice a week, not sure in the bin but it's in my reptile/tarantula room which is kept ambient temp 80/82 °, I did try them the same way your other video showed, having a egg box and nursery, I could get them to hatch, probably 2 molts then they'd all die.

[@seansspoods9521]

And thank you for replying, really appreciate it

[@Aquarimax]

@@seansspoods9521 The deeper part of the substrate may not have been quite moist enough, as the eggs are deposited fairly deeply. I make sure the warm end of the enclosure gets a good soak once or twice a week. That could be the issue. Also, are you working with banded crickets or house crickets?

[@seansspoods9521]

@@Aquarimax I'll give that a try, in the uk we have silent crickets, sometimes able to get brown, think they are banded but mainly silent

[@puretranscending]

How big of a bin is that?

[@Aquarimax]

I don’t recall the exact dimensions, but I estimate it is a little over 2 feet long, and about 18 inches high and wide.

[@mightylotan]

I did NOT like keeping crickets for my leopard geckos years ago. I heard chicken food or something on the bottom also makes it smell less bad. Never tried it though, just switched to all meal worms and silk worms LOL

[@supplies4reptiles228]

Iam confused if i check the live cycle for banded chrickets and urs ran 2months, it barly give chance for the bin to realy brake down, plus you cant put untreated compost that will produce mites with chrickets or can you?

[@Aquarimax]

The large numbers of springtails are preventing mites (at least so far), and we will see how the bin progresses in the future, but I introduced subadults in April, and they matured, produced young, and those young have grown up and produced another generation. Crickets can mature within a few weeks if conditions are good. Mites can be attracted to just about any organic material, including compost, but I haven't had issues with them in this setup. That said, it is still an experiment in progress.

[@sandysizemore1828]

Which? Soil mites? Grain mites?

[@Aquarimax]

I think either could show up in compost whether heat-treated or not, but in this bin I have not had problems with either. The heat and abundant food has supercharged the springtails!

[@JV-ys8fd]

Do the adult crickets not eat baby crickets? I have grown mealworms and the adults would eat the young sometimes.

[@Aquarimax]

They may do so to a small degree, but not enough to keep the population from growing quite quickly, if it does happen.

[@shyanha]

Question for anyone who knows: when it's time to replace the substrate, and since we're not supposed to release non-native creatures into our ecosystems . . . what happens to the old substrate? This is the one thing that's prevented me from trying this.

[@Aquarimax]

You can freeze the substrate for 72 hours, and then dispose of it in the trash.

[@shyanha]

@@Aquarimax Thank you so much! And you're right - those banded crickets are Big jumpers. I can hear one in my daughter's room, but I can't find the little dude because the others are making a cacophony of noise to cover his tracks.

[@imamayoub8066]

missing your video to be honest, thanks my friend,

[@katlady567]

I tried keeping my banded crickets bioactively last year with a clean up crew of springtails and white dwarf isopods. After about a month or so the cuc was gone. Added more and they disappeared too. The only conclusion I could come to was that the crickets ate my cuc.

[@Aquarimax]

Interesting! I wonder how the conditions differed? If my crickets are eating the springtails they are breeding far too quickly for it to matter.

[@katlady567]

@@Aquarimax I wasn’t breeding my crickets. I did have approx 250 - 500 crickets at one time though. I kept them well fed with a variety of fresh organic produce and Repashy Bug Burger, but they still obviously decimated my cuc. I had leaf litter and cork bark for the cuc to hide under, but maybe it was just too many crickets.

[@Aquarimax]

@@katlady567 ah, I see. Was the substrate just leaf litter and cork bark, or was there something under that.

[@katlady567]

@@Aquarimax I had about an inch+ of organic soil and coco coir. I use the same in my roach bin.

[@ruderaptorstudios]

How many adult crickets did you have when you started breeding them?

[@Aquarimax]

Between 30 and 50 I think.

[@IsopodArtist]

The smell of soil is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide produced by good bacteria, a sign of a productive soil and enclosure (found out when i pour hydrogen peroxide on soil)

[@laurachristopher6744]

How does it work to keep all those stages in one bin? I experienced cannibalism.

[@Aquarimax]

I only advise this method with banded crickets. House crickets tend to be too cannibalistic .

[@sdqsdq6274]

just started dubia for the first time , strangely the female just remind me of isopods , lol

[@TylerLarbes]

Well they are cousins after all. (Sort of?)lol. I believe they are both invertebrates, that belong to the same Kingdom & Phylum.

[@RepvertYT]

Would be cool to see one for mealworms

[@awesomeanimalswithalishav5874]

Mealworms would probably do well in a similar set-up. I added them to my bioactive ball python tank and because no one in the tank ate them the population really swelled even when I started gathering them regularly. I have the bins of mealworms which are going fine, but after seeing something similar on Ants Canada I chucked some mealworms and superworms in my Hissing Cockroach tank and they're reproducing really well in the substrate in there. I can just add veggies like it's a compost heap. It's a bit harder to pull them out to feed off though.

[@dillonbuford]

Why can't he do roches instead?

[@Aquarimax]

My wife has prohibited roaches in the house, otherwise I would.😂

[@dillonbuford]

@@Aquarimax have you done anything with cave crickets? My understanding is they are larger and don't make sound.

[@mebreevee]

I just found out im allergic to roaches, and it seems I have a similar reaction to crickets. Feeding my gecko got a lot less fun once my nose started running.

[@Aquarimax]

Oh no! Have you had to start using a mask?

[@mebreevee]

@@Aquarimax Yep! That and allergy shots, shes either always hungry or always not hungry for like a month, so I have to mix things up. She gets the occasional dusted mealworm snack and those dont bug me much in terms of allergies. Roaches are the worst reaction unfortunately, even with a mask, I struggle being in the same room as them, as I also have contact dermatitis from them. Gotta get myself some gloves. I gave up on crickets, shes not the best hunter so she tends to not catch them, and, she likes to hunt on her own, so even if its alive, she wont take from tongs.

[@42ZaphodB42]

I'd recommend a different cricket species: Jamaycan Field Crickets or Gryllus Assimilis. They are often times called silent crickets and they are so much more easy to work with then house crickets. They are much quiter, they don't jump and really calm. Added bonus is that they get bigger then house crickets, plus they can't breed in your house.

[@Aquarimax]

I’d like to try them!

[@kevinpoe8137]

My crickets keep disappearing, it’s possible that they’re escaping some how

[@Aquarimax]

😳

[@odddinohunter5991]

I use vermiculite on the bottom of my crickets it seems to make the smell disappear 😂

[@GloW_Bug1]

Inhales deeply over cricket cage at petsmart. Ugh stinky.

[@Aquarimax]

At a big box pet store? Yes. Stinky.

[@Billbeaux]

Why are you unable to culture roaches?

[@Aquarimax]

My wife has requested that I not keep any in the house at all, so I respect that. 😊

[@Billbeaux]

@@Aquarimax that's fair. Too bad, bc roaches are actually more clean than crickets.

[@Aquarimax]

@@Billbeaux Yes, roaches seem to have many advantages over crickets.

[@wesleyson21]

@@Aquarimax I figured that's what you meant when you looked to the side and said that. Don't feel too bad my wife is the same way.

[@bugloverspiderlover8490]

@@Aquarimax my parents are the same way,I actually breed super worms and catch my own feeders,never had any issues with wild food for my pets!