Uh-oh, Crickets :/

[Jabba]

OK.

Here's the situation. I live on the top floor of a 3 story apartment building. Today, the girl who lives under me sent me an email that said:

''Nic this is gonna sound like a weird question, but do you have crickets in your apartment? I think i'm going to call the landlord because i've killed about 10 crickets in the last 3 weeks'' Needless to say i went down there and talked her out of calling the landlord (im not supposed to have animals here).

Lately, Ive been putting my crickets where my washer and dryer are and im assuming they went down through the dryer pipes....When I came back up,I checked if they could escape from their cricket tank thingy, and sure enough, the small ones can. I put the whole thing in a pillowcase now so that problem should be solved.

Anyways, She's not mad or anything, and i told her I'd be extra careful.

I am left with only one worry - how fast do those things breed? is it possible that I just created an infestation, that they are going to reproduce and that we are going to need an exterminator? because that would SUCK!!!!

Anyways, please let me know guys, I'm a little worried :/

thanks!

[Tom Highum]

Well I doubt it considering the temperatures in Canada but I do not have a definite answer sorry.

[SludgeMunkey]

Think of them like warm weather roaches. They can move through any sized space and will eat just about anything.

Now, as for life cycle, it is about 6 weeks. At temperatures below 50F they quickly die out. Unless your apartment complex has bad plumbing and there is a nice damp substrate, they will not breed.


My real question is are you getting lots of escapes? Unless a cricket keeper got dumped over, that seems to be a lot of animals one floor down. My wife once dumped a 1000 count box of adult crickets in the basement and perhaps three were found upstairs.

Perhaps you may want to rethink your strategy for feeding to prevent escapes.

[John]

Yes, they shouldn't be able to escape - I've never had this problem. Use the right tool (container) for the job.

[Jabba]

Think of them like warm weather roaches. They can move through any sized space and will eat just about anything.

Now, as for life cycle, it is about 6 weeks. At temperatures below 50F they quickly die out. Unless your apartment complex has bad plumbing and there is a nice damp substrate, they will not breed.


My real question is are you getting lots of escapes? Unless a cricket keeper got dumped over, that seems to be a lot of animals one floor down. My wife once dumped a 1000 count box of adult crickets in the basement and perhaps three were found upstairs.

Perhaps you may want to rethink your strategy for feeding to prevent escapes.

Well, I dont have that many escapes because i never have more than 15 or 30 at a time, but I was keeping them where my washer and dryer are so i'm pretty sure they ALL the escapees were going straight down the dryer hose...

Anyways, I switched them places and put the whole cricketarium in a pillow case (they dont seem to be suffocating) and sure enough, yesterday i opened the pillow case and there was a cricket out of the box just hanging out...

anyways....

as long as they dont breed.

Thanks!

[Kurt]

I keep my crickets, which I have thousands of, in half trash barrels. I cut windows in the sides and glue metal screen mesh over them. This allows ventilation, while preventing escape.

[Tom Highum]

Kurt could you post picture of this contraption?

[Kurt]

Maybe I would, if I had a camera.