# Cricket breeding



## hyla23 (Apr 27, 2008)

I produce around 50,000 pinheads a day in the summer and it drops to around 10,000 in the winter. I have been breeding crickets for the past few years and I have had no problems with reproducing them. But I have noticed that in the cold months between Oct-March the pinheads appear to not hatch as frequently. My adults still produce lots of eggs and the temps are around 85 for the adults and the cricket egg incubator is at 82. My eggs usually hatch between 10 and 12 days. I was wondering if anyone else who breeds crickets have had this problem or have come across this. I can only assume that the cool weather may have an affect on the adult breeding patterns.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

Where are you located? Are you ever interested in selling the pinheads?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

wheni did breed crickets i did notice the same thing, however it does have to do with the outside temps, so if you can keep them in a temp controlled room with the air temp being warm as well you will get teh same production year round, i kept mine in an open tank so that is why my production dropeed in the winter months.


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## joshsfrogs (May 6, 2004)

What are you humidity levels? Our frogroom stays 70-75 all year round, but the humidity during the summer is 75%-85% and during the winter drops to 40% due to the heaters. I'm wondering if the low humidity during winter has effect.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

joshsfrogs said:


> What are you humidity levels? Our frogroom stays 70-75 all year round, but the humidity during the summer is 75%-85% and during the winter drops to 40% due to the heaters. I'm wondering if the low humidity during winter has effect.


Josh, the humidity does have an effect on the hatch rate if kept too dry the eggs wont develop properly and not hatch, i have had good success with about 70% humidity


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## billschwinn (Dec 17, 2008)

Hyla, what do you use as egg laying media?


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## hyla23 (Apr 27, 2008)

The humidity is controlled by an incubator for the pinheads and it is around 75%. Also the room that the adults are in is always humid it gets no lower then 70% unless I dry it out in the summer for a few days. Also I use coco pith and sand the ratio is 1 brick of pith to 1 32oz deli cup of sand mixed up. I also found out in the beginning that the adults like to lay more eggs in deeper substrate then shallow substrate.


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## hyla23 (Apr 27, 2008)

I' am also not looking to sell pinheads at this time until i figure out how to over come this reduction during the cold months. I feed out a lot and also grow up crickets for my amphibians and reptiles. I dont have to buy crickets that way and save a ton of money.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

can you post some picks of yoru setup?


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## hyla23 (Apr 27, 2008)

I dont have my camera right now I let my sister borrow it. But my set ups are basically wash tub sinks that you can buy at home depot or Lowes. With corn cob bedding in the bottom water and food and a infrared heat light hanging over it. My cricket egg incubator is a large wooden box with foam insulation on the outside, with a thermostat and standard 75watt light bulb to heat it.


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