Cricket nymphs vs. Adult crickets

[AmandaLynn]

I've never had any problems with mantids eating cricket nymphs as a primary food source but recently have been wondering about feeding gravid adult female crickets. Usually the mantids will toss the unwanted remains aside, but sometimes the adult female mantids will eat them up (cricket ova and all) partially or entirely. Where I'm going with this is, is it possible that it's not actually crickets but cricket ova that may contain somthing toxic to other insects as a sort of protection for the ova to hatch?

 

[Rick]

There is nothing wrong with crickets. I have used crickets as a primary food source for years and have only had issues once or twice. That includes feeding to gravid females. For large species crickets and roaches are really the only choice.

 

[hibiscusmile]

I say there old chap, let them eat cake (crickets) :tt2:

 

[Colorcham427]

There is nothing wrong with crickets. I have used crickets as a primary food source for years and have only had issues once or twice. That includes feeding to gravid females. For large species crickets and roaches are really the only choice.

Curious Rick, what species have you fed crickets and dubia to gravid females? What did you feed the crickets and dubia?

I'm out of flies for a few days, and just curious if I could feed my Idolo some dubia gutloaded and dusted with bee pollen.

Could ONE MEAL of dubia effect their future???

 

[PhilinYuma]

There is nothing about healthy crickets that is poisonous to other insects.

Some grasshoppers, such as the eastern lubbers discussed recently, contain poisons, but insect poisons usually act best when the insect is swallowed whole by a small vertebrate.

No insect to my knowledge has poisonous eggs. The usual method of ensuring the propagation of the species by insects that do not guard their young is to lay a very large number so that a few survive predation.

Mantids do not need to be fed gut loaded insects, though I no not think that the process does any harm

To thrive, eggs need to be coated in yolk as a first food. It is a made from a protein that is manufactured by the insect's fat body and carried by the blood to the ovary.

Hey, here's a thought! These proteins, called vitellogenins, are big fat molecules with bits of fat, sugar and phosphorus stuck to them. If you ever get cut off in traffic, instead of lowering your window and yelling the usual cuss words, yell, "glycolipophosphoproteins!" That should slow 'em down.

 

[AmandaLynn]

There is nothing about healthy crickets that is poisonous to other insects.

Some grasshoppers, such as the eastern lubbers discussed recently, contain poisons, but insect poisons usually act best when the insect is swallowed whole by a small vertebrate.

No insect to my knowledge has poisonous eggs. The usual method of ensuring the propagation of the species by insects that do not guard their young is to lay a very large number so that a few survive predation.

Mantids do not need to be fed gut loaded insects, though I no not think that the process does any harm

To thrive, eggs need to be coated in yolk as a first food. It is a made from a protein that is manufactured by the insect's fat body and carried by the blood to the ovary.

Hey, here's a thought! These proteins, called vitellogenins, are big fat molecules with bits of fat, sugar and phosphorus stuck to them. If you ever get cut off in traffic, instead of lowering your window and yelling the usual cuss words, yell, "glycolipophosphoproteins!" That should slow 'em down.

Some insects (mainly beetles that are toxic in their larval stage and adult) do lay eggs with a built in chemical defense to protect against predation from other iverts, especially ants. Crickets are no where on the list (of any lists that I found.)

Eh, just a thought....