Locust breeding tank

[bulldogod]

Just set this up and would like some advice/feedback, still would like some pics of others.

[repto]

probably will work but not really practical when they get bigger and you are getting your grass in and out and they all get out....a big cardboard carton with a light bulb for heat and plastic taped front, cutout side entry door flap for your hand/ram to go through and block most off would be cheap and a lot better (a la biosuppliers) what temp have you got it at? Go for 30+, whats in the dishes? All you need is your grass and a small dish of bran, no water no laying medium till they get their wings and start mating.Thought of you this morning, saw a big fat roach with an egg case on its butt, fed it to my beardy.

[davidb]

someone has been to the museum I'll show you how to make a grass holder so the locusts don't eat all the grass then fall in the water if you come around sometime. or I'll post a pic on here

[bulldogod]

Temps bout 20 so thats to low, have to get another bulb, Ok, sounds like I need to look at a differant setup, just wanted to get started, Yeah, was thinking about difficulty of getting in cage without escapes...

Hey david, can you post a pic mate, be interested in that and flat out at work so carnt get over.Cheers

[David R]

Slightly OT, but how prolific are locusts, and low long do breeding adults last?

[broms2]

david if you can show the grass jar that would be cool, I set up same as yours but do have the problem of locusts going for a swim!

[repto]

I just use a selection of smallish jars from marmite to peanut butter etc and pick my grass by the handful cutting off neatly with a knife and wrap a rubber band around it and stuff it into the apropriate sized jar of water,after a while youget to know how much for how many and use the right sized bunches/jars.they eat it down flush with the jar top if they get pushed so there is a little waste but hey,grass is cheap?Careful where you get your grass too as even traces of insecticide etc can render your locusts sterile while not actually killing them.Around here there are alot of orchards so I have to be careful,up auckland you have kikuia which is good for them and easy to find as it warms up,you can pick it ahead and store in the fridge for a few days.

[broms2]

sounds like how I do my jars Les, I think I may just be lazy and they eat past the lid :roll:

[bulldogod]

What kinda roaches do you get there repto? Im after some gisborne ro0aches to start breeding

[repto]

we get the gisborne ones can send you a few if you want?there are a heap of the buggers living in the swimming pool filter box,the heat of the motor going keeps it warm for them.give me your adress etc

[godragon]

Hello all

I need some suggestion on breeding humidity and egg laying medium. I have seen my locusts humping for over 4 weeks now. Some of the older one start dieing, but I havn't seen any of them laying egg (Leaving holes in the solid).

[repto]

you don`t want alot of humidity,these are desert locusts?you need warm temps of 32 -35 to get them to lay fertile eggs.for egg laying medium you can use vermiculite or sand,i have tried both and get better results with sand.The sand to get is propagating pumice sand from mitre 10 etc.Moisten it till its damp but not ringing wet and put it in small plastic see through coffee cups etc,you can use the polystyrene ones but I find the clear ones better as you can often see the eggs down the sides of the cup if you rotate it.positioning of the cups is also important,they should be flush with the bottom of the cage,you can have little holes cutout and fit the cups into these but must have room underneath,I have mine in a shallow cardboard box to acheive this,it covers half the floor area so its easy for them to get up on it and thereby think its ground level,a cup sitting on its own is too hard for them to climb up onto and you will get eggs laid willy nilly all over the place where they will dry out and be no good.change your egg cups as often as you find eggs but you can end up with heaps of them so I do 6 once a week,cover them with gladwrap and a rubber band,when they hatch you can put the container straight into the rearing cage or if you do it like me you get more babies if you recover it after each hatching(they dry out too fast once uncovered)

[godragon]

Thank you very much for your tips, I have been searching locust breeding on the web. There are some picture of egg laying(Schistocerca gregaria).

Does New Zealand breed (Locusta migratoria) lay egg the same way? Leaving a hole in the laying medium.

Thanks again

[repto]

only if your medium is too wet,they have a foam plug that is usually covered with sand,I like the clear cups cause you can often see the eggs down the sides.you can tip the top layer of sand away slowly and you will see the foam plugs like little chimmneys sticking up if you want,i sometimes check like this when not many adults getting to the end of their cycle don`t lay as many eggs,not much use waiting for empty cups to hatch babies?

[davidb]

use clear cups to... they are made by huhtamaki.

[bulldogod]

So, you cut holes in the cardboard box and place the cups in the holes,,,, why do ya put the glad wrap over cups when eggs are laid??? :oops: :oops:

[godragon]

I guess it is for keeping the moisture, same as cricket

[repto]

yes,you take them out replace with new ones and put the covered ones in your hatching place.

[repto]

yes,you take them out replace with new ones and put the covered ones in your hatching place.

[repto]

yes,you take them out replace with new ones and put the covered ones in your hatching place.i change mine once a week.

[scott16]

what do you need for the hatching place is it just another set up exatly the same

[broms2]

hi guys, im just trying to figure out the cycle time of egg laying and hatching

[repto]

according to some scientific notes I have here migratoria take 16 days @28 degrees C or11 days @32d`s.I take my eggs out once a week and have 4 rearing cages so One is emptying out each week to put the new ones in.As they hatch i recover the cups and get a few lots over the week out of the same cup.make sure you take any droppings off the top of the sand before you cover it,got a bit lazy the other day and a coating of mould spread over the top layer and they could not get through it.