Jerusalem crickets

[AmandaLynn]

~Ninas de la Tierra~

These are really cool looking, one of my favorite insects. Has anyone ever tried raising them?

 

[hibiscusmile]

got a link? I would like to see them. Orin has some different crickets he raises, but I don't know what they are.

 

[cloud jaguar]

wow, those creep me out. Once when I was a very young kid i was hunting for glass snakes (legless lizards) in my front yard - I shoved my arm up to my shoulder in a hole in the ground and pulled back a handfull of giant, black and hairy mole crickets that scared the pee out of me. Ever since then I have been super creeped out by crickets - especially mole crickets and jerusalem crickets! yech

 

[AmandaLynn]

got a link? I would like to see them. Orin has some different crickets he raises, but I don't know what they are.

I'm not sure how to post a link but I'll give it a try.San Diego Natural History Museum Hmm, well that didn't work. <_< Sorry, I don't know how to post a link, but there are quite a few images on google if you want to check them out.

 

[Opivy]

Very nice museum =)^^^

those things creep me out! are they raised as feeder insects?

 

[AmandaLynn]

wow, those creep me out. Once when I was a very young kid i was hunting for glass snakes (legless lizards) in my front yard - I shoved my arm up to my shoulder in a hole in the ground and pulled back a handfull of giant, black and hairy mole crickets that scared the pee out of me. Ever since then I have been super creeped out by crickets - especially mole crickets and jerusalem crickets! yech

Ack! That would be scary! That is kind of how I feel about weevils... now. I think jerusalem crickets are kinda cute though. I used to find them from time to time around San Diego, but they don't live up north here in Washington.

 

[AmandaLynn]

Very nice museum =)^^^those things creep me out! are they raised as feeder insects?

No, I don't think so.

 

[Opivy]

those things are in san diego?! I don't think I'm going to sleep very well anymore =(

 

[AmandaLynn]

those things are in san diego?! I don't think I'm going to sleep very well anymore =(

Haha! Don't worry they live underground most of the time, so unless you sleep under a pile of leaf litter, they shouldn't be to much of a bother for you.

 

[Katnapper]

Haha! Don't worry they live underground most of the time, so unless you sleep under a pile of leaf litter, they shouldn't be to much of a bother for you.

:lol:

 

[PhilinYuma]

I'm not sure how to post a link but I'll give it a try.San Diego Natural History Museum Hmm, well that didn't work. <_< Sorry, I don't know how to post a link, but there are quite a few images on google if you want to check them out.

This should do it: http://www.sdnhm.org Then type Jerusalem cricket in the search window.

 

[hibiscusmile]

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/inverts/sten-fus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_cricket

the first link is not so bad looking but the second, dear me, I now realize I like ticks and leeches!!!

 

[ismart]

Someone should really try and get a breeding colony of them going. They look like they would make some real nice mantid food!

 

[Christian]

Vice versa...

 

[PhilinYuma]

Someone should really try and get a breeding colony of them going. They look like they would make some real nice mantid food!

The major problem with raising them as food is that the females only lay eggs one a year.

 

[ismart]

Vice versa...

I really should have looked into them a bit more. I did not realize how big they get! :blink:

The major problem with raising them as food is that the females only lay eggs one a year.

Thanks for the info! It seems like they would make an interesting pet though.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Phil are you serious abot the eggs?

 

[PhilinYuma]

Phil are you serious abot the eggs?

Yep. They lay in the spring and overwinter as adults and then start over again. Our indigenous mantids also have one brood per year, and so do lots of other insects.

 

[Hypoponera]

We have loads of those "child-of-the-earth" crickets here. Need a few sent your way Ismart? I have not seen any of the mole crickets here though. Saw lots of them in Egypt.