Table of Contents

Reproduction and Life-cycle of the Cricket

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A chirping cricket may trigger involuntary reactions among humans, especially when inside a human’s home.  That reaction may involve destruction, arson, or even explosions.  However, if you’re a rational human, then you may be able to justify that these crickets are simply trying to play music for one another, which will ultimately salvage your family and home.  

And if you possess some of this ration, you may even be trying to breed crickets inside your home.  Breeding crickets are not difficult, as long as you never forget that they are an animal, and they just need an accommodating environment.  So what's an accomodating environment?

The first thing you'll need to do is choose where you'll want to raise your crickets.  The most common cricket killer is unstable temperatures.  Crickets prefer temperatures of abut 75 degrees F.  However, they can tolerate temperatures as high as 90 degrees, and typically prefer to breed in temperatures closer to 90.  However, the adults don't live as long if they are kept in those higher temperatures.  But the temperature exception doesn't swing both ways.  Avoid allowing the temperature to get below 75 degrees.  Temperatures that low will promote death and cannibalism within the cricket colony.  If the room doesn't hold those temperatures, you'll need to 40, 60, or 100 watt bulb.  

If you want to start breeding crickets right away, then you'll want to order some adult or some 3/4" size crickets.  These crickets are mature, or are nearly mature, and can begin laying eggs as soon as you enter them into their new habitat.  The housing for your crickets should be escape proof and properly ventilated. You can also order a ready-made cricket house from the internet or construct one. Remember, crickets should have places to climb and hide, and the female crickets need a place to lay eggs. You can use shredded papers and old toilet paper tubes for hiding. The tubes are good because it will be easier to collect the crickets for their hiding. You just pick the tube and shake it into a container. You can also purchase healthy adult crickets online for your pets.

Reproduction and Life-cycle of the Cricket

Crickets can live for over six weeks, but this will depend on their surroundings. They increase when the temperature is within 80 and 90*F.

Mating

To attract female crickets, the male cricket will start singing and scraping their wings against one another. They do this to let the female crickets know where they are located and also to mark their territory. After mating, a female cricket will lay eggs continuously. She can lay 100 eggs or as many as 200 eggs during her life.

Egg

Cricket begins its life in a cricket egg. In some cricket species, eggs are laid on plants. The female cricket uses her Ovipositor, a tube like organ to deposit her eggs. After 14 days, the eggs will hatch into nymph.

Nymph

Nymphs are small versions of adult crickets but they are not as developed as adult crickets. They do not have wings and female crickets do not have ovipositors. In most cases, the young crickets become prey for the adult crickets and other insects. For a nymph to grow, it has to shed its hard exoskeleton. This happens eight to ten times. A nymph starts growing wings at about one month of age.

Adult

When a cricket reaches its maturity, its wings are fully developed. An adult cricket body has three distinct parts: head, thorax and the abdomen. Crickets usually live to eat and mate. A male cricket will always attempt to attract fertile female crickets, and once the mating has occurred, a female cricket will spend most of her time finding an appropriate place to lay her eggs. Most cricket species live for about two months.