Cricket breeding?

I just started a colony of about 100 crickets. Most are female. If I need a constant supply of 100 crickets a week (40 adults and 60 1-4 week) how long would I leave the egg dish in there for and should I use multiple dishes? I heard each female lays about 100 eggs in their lifetime but I do not now how many eggs they lay at once.

Obviously I want this colony to be selfsustaining. Someone give me the breakdown. Thanks.

-Dustin

BRING ON THE STINK! for a cricket colony I would use some sort of substrate that they can just bury their eggs in. if the colony you just started are adults you will be overrun with pinheads in less than a month. fair warning, crickets without a good substrate can stink up a house - don't use egg carton or paper. I don't breed crickets so that is all the info I have currently. good luck, tell me how it goes because I've been deliberating on this for a few months

eww....you have to clean out all the exos and dead cricets daily. Trust me. YOU HAVE TOO.

Yeah well see how it goes. I have had them in crumpled newspaper with no subtrate for 4 days with little problems or odor. It is a large rubbermaid. I am using a small dish with moist cocofiber for the egg constainer. I will probably clean the container on the weekends unless it gets bad.

I would have done roaches but the ol' lady said NO and I hate roaches.

-Dustin

dubias dont look like roaches. I would of gone with that. Crickets will start giving you odors too and more deaths because they'll actually eat each other.

Yeah I know. They are disgusting creatures, but I don't mind picking them up. Any ideas on what kind of routine I need to produce the crickets I need. Or how many each female lays and in what time span?

Athlon2k2 wrote:

I would have done roaches but the ol' lady said NO and I hate roaches.

-Dustin

That's what my mom said to me. No roaches in the house! Although I might just order them when I get the $ because she's so oblivious it's not even funny lol. It would take her months (if nobody said anything) for her to discover a colony of roaches sitting in the open in my bedroom. Then the gates of Hell would open real quick.

What is it with everyone and roaches? (parents and hobbyists alike)

GET OVER THE SOCIAL STIGMAS, PEOPLE!

[/rant]

I agree. I had a roach phobia...but thats another story.

I don't mind roaches. I just don't like them...if that makes any sense.

So back to the question.

The best suggestion I can offer is to give them a few inches of humid-but-not-wet substrate, food in a dish (if it's on the 'strate it will mold quicker), and a lot of stacked egg crates. More hiding places = less cannibalism.

I don't know how long it will take to get a self-sustaining colony, though.