Post by Kyle on Sept 7, 2008 18:01:28 GMT
This is just a quick overview of how I keep and breed my feeding insects that I feed to my ants:
Locust (re-done)
Very easy to keep and breed,
To keep them warm I use a 100watt neon sun basking lamp which get the temperature to about 32oC.
you need to keep humidity as low as possible, I have got around this by getting a big-ish reptile thanks (45x45x45cm) with complete mesh lid, which also means you do not need to cut a hole for the lamp.
Egg boxes should be placed of the sides so they can perch and shred.
as for egg laying substrate, this time I've gone for doing the whole lot with about 10-12 cm of sharp sand (do not let it go hard or they cannot lay eggs in it
), which works better than just having a pot of sand (although a pot is better if you only want a few) keep it dry to stop the eggs from hatching too quickly, once all the adults have all laid there eggs and have died then you can moisten the substrate which should make them all hatch within 1 week of each other.
they thrive at temperatures of about 28-35oC, going from first hatch-adult in about 4-6weeks.
as for feeding, give them any type of plant they will eat it but also, try giving seeds as well eg Grass seed which they like, but try others as well. by doing that I've found that they are quite a bit more active and healthy.
DO NOT give them water in liquid form they drown very easily and it can raise humidity, I myself use the water gel stuff that you can buy it works a lot better.
at the moment I have about 50-70 from just 16 adults.
heres what my set up looks like, the bottle is there for size.
and thats it for locust really.
Meal worms
Probably the easiest live food to breed;
I use this for breeding minewww.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0176570/c_1/1|category_root|Home+and+furniture|10197552/c_2/2|cat_10197552|Storage|10197771/c_3/3|cat_10197771|Storage+units+with+drawers|10197794.htm
what I've done is cut the bottom out of one of the drawer and replaced it with mesh. not too big that the adult beetle's fall through, but so that the meal worms do.
I keep all stages separate and when the worms pupate I take them away from the meal worms until they turn to beetles, then I put them in the drawer with the mesh bottom make sure it's above the one with the meal worms in so when they mate and lay eggs the baby's fall in with the adults and it starts all overs again.
for food I give them carrot, apple cores and any other scraps.
Crickets
These are a bit harder to keep and breed but is easy when you get the hang of it.
I use one of the drawers which I keep my meal worms in (no weal worms in it of course) fill with about 3-4 cm of soil I use Irish moss peat keep this moist and they should mate and lay eggs in it you may want to remove the adults in case they eat the young but I don't.
depending on how many you have depends on how much room they need they seem to fight more than locust but I just have one egg carton cut up in a pile which seem to do it ok.
They love carrot and apple which is what I feed them.
word of warning they have very strong jaws so can chew through cardboard and even eat you ants
And that it really.
Waxworms
Not always the best food but good just before hibernation I find.
I keep mine in a glass jar 30cm(h)X15cm(W)X10(D).
to breed get some cheep weatabix I use about 6-8 (all the same to them LOL) mush it up and add warm honey I add a bit of glycerine because it seems to keep the mix softer for longer.
then add your brought waxworms they don't do much but sit on top for some reason then they will pupate and turn to moths. You should get some twigs or something I just was cardboard quicker to get.
The moths should mate and lay eggs then die remove these ASAP then put the jar in some heat I use my airing cupboard these will hatch into small very fast worms.
once they are at the wanted size take them out, but the mix only lasts one batch before you need to do it again.
all of this is from my experience and I hope you have as good luck as I have
if you are unsure about anything or if I have not said about something that you are trying to breed just ask I should be able to help, feel free to E-mail me at any time and I will try to get back to you ASAP.
Thanks
Locust (re-done)
Very easy to keep and breed,
To keep them warm I use a 100watt neon sun basking lamp which get the temperature to about 32oC.
you need to keep humidity as low as possible, I have got around this by getting a big-ish reptile thanks (45x45x45cm) with complete mesh lid, which also means you do not need to cut a hole for the lamp.
Egg boxes should be placed of the sides so they can perch and shred.
as for egg laying substrate, this time I've gone for doing the whole lot with about 10-12 cm of sharp sand (do not let it go hard or they cannot lay eggs in it
), which works better than just having a pot of sand (although a pot is better if you only want a few) keep it dry to stop the eggs from hatching too quickly, once all the adults have all laid there eggs and have died then you can moisten the substrate which should make them all hatch within 1 week of each other.they thrive at temperatures of about 28-35oC, going from first hatch-adult in about 4-6weeks.
as for feeding, give them any type of plant they will eat it but also, try giving seeds as well eg Grass seed which they like, but try others as well. by doing that I've found that they are quite a bit more active and healthy.
DO NOT give them water in liquid form they drown very easily and it can raise humidity, I myself use the water gel stuff that you can buy it works a lot better.
at the moment I have about 50-70 from just 16 adults.
heres what my set up looks like, the bottle is there for size.
and thats it for locust really.
Meal worms
Probably the easiest live food to breed;
I use this for breeding minewww.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0176570/c_1/1|category_root|Home+and+furniture|10197552/c_2/2|cat_10197552|Storage|10197771/c_3/3|cat_10197771|Storage+units+with+drawers|10197794.htm
what I've done is cut the bottom out of one of the drawer and replaced it with mesh. not too big that the adult beetle's fall through, but so that the meal worms do.
I keep all stages separate and when the worms pupate I take them away from the meal worms until they turn to beetles, then I put them in the drawer with the mesh bottom make sure it's above the one with the meal worms in so when they mate and lay eggs the baby's fall in with the adults and it starts all overs again.
for food I give them carrot, apple cores and any other scraps.
Crickets
These are a bit harder to keep and breed but is easy when you get the hang of it.
I use one of the drawers which I keep my meal worms in (no weal worms in it of course) fill with about 3-4 cm of soil I use Irish moss peat keep this moist and they should mate and lay eggs in it you may want to remove the adults in case they eat the young but I don't.
depending on how many you have depends on how much room they need they seem to fight more than locust but I just have one egg carton cut up in a pile which seem to do it ok.
They love carrot and apple which is what I feed them.
word of warning they have very strong jaws so can chew through cardboard and even eat you ants
And that it really.
Waxworms
Not always the best food but good just before hibernation I find.
I keep mine in a glass jar 30cm(h)X15cm(W)X10(D).
to breed get some cheep weatabix I use about 6-8 (all the same to them LOL) mush it up and add warm honey I add a bit of glycerine because it seems to keep the mix softer for longer.
then add your brought waxworms they don't do much but sit on top for some reason then they will pupate and turn to moths. You should get some twigs or something I just was cardboard quicker to get.
The moths should mate and lay eggs then die remove these ASAP then put the jar in some heat I use my airing cupboard these will hatch into small very fast worms.
once they are at the wanted size take them out, but the mix only lasts one batch before you need to do it again.
all of this is from my experience and I hope you have as good luck as I have
if you are unsure about anything or if I have not said about something that you are trying to breed just ask I should be able to help, feel free to E-mail me at any time and I will try to get back to you ASAP.
Thanks
a few egg boxes and a shallow tray for water (gel)and you might want to use a small heat mat to speed up growth.
a mated female
.
