Keeping Crickets and Fruit Flies

MandellaMandy123 · Oct 18, 2012

Hi everyone,

Okay, so I'm pretty clueless when it comes to raising crickets. Last winter I bought a box of them and stuck them in a critter keeper with this 'cricket food' that was at the pet store. Well, the gooey sticky cricket food smelled horrible, like a mixture between rotten lemons, rubber cement, and permed hair (it was supposed to be orange scented...), and what's worse, the crickets didn't even eat it. They all croaked within a week or two. So, could anyone give me tips on how to feed crickets and how to care for them otherwise (like water, etc.)

And then fruit flies. Okay, so I think I can make a trap and if I can't, I'll buy some. But then how do I care for them after that? And how do I get L1's to find them? I mean, they're so tiny - will the nymphs even see them? I right now use mesh containers like the pop-up portabug, but I suppose with L1's I'll have to start using deli cups?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

~Wolfie

Rick · Oct 18, 2012

For FF"s don't bother making a trap. You can get flightless fruit flies on line for so cheap. Pick up some medium and yeast and culture them. It is so easy. I do it in 32 oz insect cups. You can make your own medium but I don't like homemade stuff. The commercial stuff includes mold inhibitor.

Crickets are easy. Forget about that store bought cricket food. A waste of money. I keep cricket colonies in largish rubbermaid tubs. I add about an inch or so of dry oatmeal as a substrate. They also eat that. Add the egg crates so they can hide and climb. They also like things like paper towel or toilet paper cardboard tubes which double as a way to get some out.

I add a very shallow dish or lid for watering. You can keep a moist sponge on it or you can water them with a gravel filled dish with a slight amount of water in it. Just make sure they can get in and out of the water easily. I feed them leafy greens, dry dog food, veggies, etc. Remove uneaten food soon. You may have to clean the enclosure a few times. I normally didn't worry about it since I kept up on the housekeeping.

Buy your crickets online in bulk. I used to be them in quantity of 1000 or 500. Some people will try to sway you away from crickets with stories of sick mantids. Take care of your crickets and they make an excellent food source for mantids. The males will call. I actually like the sound though. Keep in mind you can buy them of any size. Do not buy adults since they won't live as long. I bought one size smaller than I needed because they will grow pretty fast. It's all very easy.

MandellaMandy123 · Oct 18, 2012

Thanks for the info Rick. The flightless fruit flies didn't look inexpensive online at all, at least where I looked, if I catch flighted ones will that still work? Thanks so much for all the info on crickets! I appreciate it

Rick · Oct 19, 2012

WolfPuppy said:
Thanks for the info Rick. The flightless fruit flies didn't look inexpensive online at all, at least where I looked, if I catch flighted ones will that still work? Thanks so much for all the info on crickets! I appreciate it

You're welcome. I'm sure it will work, but it will be a hassle to deal with flying ff's. Not sure where you're looking for cultures but they are only like five or six dollars. Try Josh's Frogs or silkwormshop.com. One culture from these places and you can make hundreds from it.