What are the crickets in my tank doing...?

I have two scorpions and of course, I feed them crickets but I noticed the crickets doing something inside the tank and I'm wondering if someone knows what it is.

Around the cricket's rear end, a very long 'stick' is visible,(no pun intended), the crickets keeps moving some soil and small pebbles around and it's inserting this 'stick' into the soil repeatedly. It almost looks like its humping the soil. Anyone knows what they are doing? Are they doing something that can harm my scorps? Thanks

The cricket somewhat looks like the cricket labeled 'B'.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Snodgrass_Gryllus_assimilis.png/466px-Snodgrass_Gryllus_assimilis.png

I'm pretty sure that's the female laying her eggs. Usually with these, I cut off the stick or I just kill it before.

Wut... but they've only been in the tank for a day. Well now, this isn't good. Thanks Bedlam. The weird this is, almost all 7 of the crickets in there are doing it.

I had the same thing happen to me but they died out soon enough.

Definitely laying eggs. Like bedlam said, cut off the ovipositor, bend it really good, or head crush and tweezer feed!

tweezer feed

pluto wrote:

tweezer feed

+1
Best way to ensure no laying of eggs for the adult female crickets.
Just wana share if you thinking of damaging the ovipositor, i would advice to do a through job.
I've seen females who continue to lay eggs even though 90% of the ovipositor is being "cut-off"

sexual predators those crickets.
If you put them on something damp, they will go all the way

As GS said, often it doesnt help by just breaking the ovipositor. Besides I'm an animal lover and don't do it out of respect even though it's a bug. I just let the scorp/spider finish it completely.

If you do not overfeed your specimen. It will probably get instant KOed without the need of having the buggers fertilize your coco fibre.

defo layin eggs i cut them of but my scorps normaly just kill them stright away anyway lol