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This paper outlines basic methods to standardize important factors such as density, feed availability, hydration source, and environmental controls for the long-term rearing of laboratory cultures of the edible cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus.
Gryllus bimaculatus (De Geer) is a large-bodied cricket distributed throughout Africa and Southern Eurasia where it is often wild-harvested as human food. Outside its native range, culturing G. bimaculatus is feasible due to its dietary plasticity, rapid reproductive cycle, lack of diapause requirement, tolerance for high-density rearing, and robustness against pathogens. Thus, G. bimaculatus can be a versatile model for studies of insect physiology, behavior, embryology, or genetics.
Cultural parameters, such as stocking density, within-cage refugia, photoperiod, temperature, relative humidity, and diet, all impact cricket growth, behavior, and gene expression and should be standardized. In the burgeoning literature on farming insects for human consumption, these crickets are frequently employed to evaluate candidate feed admixtures derived from crop residues, food-processing byproducts, and other low-cost waste streams.
To support ongoing experiments evaluating G. bimaculatus growth performance and nutritional quality in response to variable feed substrates, a comprehensive set of standard protocols for breeding, upkeep, handling, measurement, and euthanasia in the laboratory was developed and is presented here. An industry-standard cricket feed has proven nutritionally adequate and functionally appropriate for the long-term maintenance of cricket breeding stocks, as well as for use as an experimental control feed. Rearing these crickets at a density of 0.005 crickets/cm3 in screen-topped 29.3 L polyethylene cages at an average temperature of 27 °C on a 12 light (L)/12 dark (D) photoperiod, with moistened coconut coir serving both as hydration source and oviposition medium has successfully sustained healthy crickets over a 2-year span. Following these methods, crickets in a controlled experiment yielded an average mass of 0.724 g 0.190 g at harvest, with 89% survivorship and 68.2% sexual maturation between stocking (22 days) and harvest (65 days).
As typified by the iconic insect, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the use of insects as laboratory model organisms provides distinct advantages for studies in genetics, toxicology, and physiology1. The small size of insects reduces the space needed for cultures and the amount of feed and consumable materials required. Many insects reproduce quickly making them uniquely suited to the creation of specialized genetic lines and studies requiring the evaluation of multiple successive generations.
Many studies focus on holometabolous insects such as Drosophila, which exhibit complete metamorph....
1. Preparing the oviposition substrate
NOTE: Coconut coir is an ideal oviposition substrate for G. bimaculatus. For detailed methods on how to separate coir from compressed coir brick and a note on respiratory safety, see Supplemental Materials step 1.1.
Data demonstrating successful cricket rearing from hatching to 65 days old were collected during a September 2021 feed trial. Crickets were grown from eggs following steps 1.1.1-2.6.1 of these protocols, and six replicate cages were stocked with 24 random 22-day-old (third instar) crickets following step 2.7 above. Crickets were then reared in ambient room conditions; however, due to a malfunctioning facility air handling unit, the average room temperature was 25 ± 1 °C at 20% relative humidity rather than the .......
The simplicity of this approach to cricket rearing can benefit a range of research areas and represents a generic template for successful cricket husbandry, easily adaptable to a variety of experimental needs. Compared to several other studies of G. bimaculatus, the individual body adult size is smaller and maturation is slower14, which we attribute to sub-optimal rearing temperature imposed on us by circumstance. The methods described above have been used and refined over the course of 2.......
Funding for this project was made possible through University of Wisconsin-Madison internal grants. Sincerest thanks to Kevin Bachhuber of Bachhuber Consulting Inc. for access to his unpublished guide for commercial cricket rearing and to Michael Bartlett Smith for his assistance in refining and troubleshooting these methods.
....Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
31-qt (29.3 L) Snap-lid tote bin with lid | HOMZ | 3430CLBL | Used to house breeding stock |
3-tier/12-tray Grow Light Stand | Fischer Scientific | NC1938548 | |
50-gal (189.27L) tote bin with lid | Sterilite | #14796603 | Used as secondary containment when handling crickets |
50 mL polypropylene graduated cylinder | Fischer Scientific | S95171 | |
7.5-qt (7.1 L) snap-lid tote bin with lid | HOMZ | 3410CLBL | Used to house exprimental stock |
Accuris 500 g x 0.01 g Balance | Manufactured by Accuris, a subsidieary of Benchmark Scientific | W3300-500 | Purchased from Dot Scientific through University of Wisconsin system purchasing service "ShopUW+" |
Ace Premier 1 Inch Flat Chip Brush | Ace Hardware | #1803261 | |
Bel-Art SP Scienceware deionized water wash bottle | Fischer Scientific | 03-421-160 | |
Bright aluminum window screen | Phifer | UNSPSC# 11162108 | Mesh size 18 x 16" |
Clear Disposable Plastic Portion Cups 5.5 oz w/ lids | Wal-Mart | N/A | |
Deionized water | |||
Diablo 4-4/8" x 13 TPI Ultra Fine Finish Bi-Metal Jigsaw Blade | Home Depot | #313114935 | |
Egg Filler Flats-Paper, 12 x 12" | Uline | S-5189 | |
Fisherbrand Petri Dishes with Clear Lid 100 x 15mm | Fischer Scientific | FB0875714 | |
Fisherbrand Petri Dishes with Clear Lid 60 x 15mm | Fischer Scientific | FB0875713A | |
Georgia-Pacific Envision Brown Paper Towels | Home Depot | #205675843 | |
Infinity Tough Guy high performance hot-melt glue sticks | Infinity Bond | Infinity IM-Tough-Guy-12 | |
Mazuri Cricket Diet | Land O' Lakes International | SKU# 3002219-105 | |
Stanley TimeIt Twin 2-outlet Grounded Mechanical 24 Hour Timer | Wal-Mart | N/A | |
Vermont Organics Reclamation Soil 11 lb Coir Block | Home Depot | #300679904 |
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