Crickets Facts:
What Exactly Do Crickets Eat?
Just like humans, crickets are omnivorous; they feed on both plants and meat.
Crickets are jumping insects which are part of the Gryllidae family or “ true insects.” They have powerful hind legs, flat bodies, two pairs of wings and very long antennae (perhaps longer as compared to their bodies).
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Crickets have different colors, ranging from brown to shiny black, depending on their respective species. They also have two thin abdominal sensory appendages known as cerci. Its forewings are firm and leathery while the hind wings, which it uses to fly, are longer and membranous than the front ones.
The length of the adult insect varies from 3m to 50 mm. The areas that you are most likely to see these insects include yards, barns as well as basements.
Now that you know how a cricket looks like, perhaps you are wondering what it eats for survival. Well, let’s have a look at that as well.
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Their food
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Just like humans, crickets are omnivorous; they feed on both plants and meat. The diet of crickets is dependent on the surroundings of the insects. Therefore, if they get their way into your yard, these pests can cause much damage to your crops.
In your garden, crickets can eat the stems and seeds of any plant such as corn, grass, barley, fruits, wheat or vegetable. With a heavy infestation, these pests can destroy very many rows of seedlings in one day.
In homes, crickets eat an array of things including drapes, clothing, and furniture. They have such strong jaws and teeth that they can chew through plastic bags, cardboard, and stored grains as well as cereals.
“In your garden, crickets can eat the stems and seeds of any plant such as corn, grass, barley, fruits, wheat or vegetable. With a heavy infestation, these pests can destroy very many rows of seedlings in one day.”
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Nevertheless, a hungry cricket can eat anything that comes in its way. It is even saddening, or perhaps an interesting thing, depending on your perception, that crickets in a colony can turn against the weak colleagues and eat them up when they have nothing else to eat.
Therefore, if you have kept crickets as food for your pets, you need to feed them well and enough to prevent them from turning to their cannibalistic behavior. Some of the foods that crickets will prefer while at your home include:
Raw veggies
The tops and peels of carrots are favorite a food for crickets. Crickets also feed on cooked carrots. Either way, carrots are rich in beta-carotene as well as water, hence very important cricket food.
If you don’t have carrots, lettuce salad left-overs can be good food for crickets. Lettuce contains high amounts of Vitamin A, K, and Potassium, nutrients that are vital for the health of the insects. Therefore, the next time you or your family don’t finish your salad, don’t throw the left-overs to a trashcan if you have reared crickets; take it to them, and they’ll enjoy it.
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Crickets also like eating cabbage. By feeding them on the outer cabbage leaves that you don’t want for cooking, you’ll be supplying the insects with vitamins K, and C. Cabbage contains both vitamins.
Potatoes, which are rich starch, are also nice food for crickets. Spare the potato parts that you trim off while preparing to cook baked potatoes for the insects.
“Crickets also feed on cooked carrots. Either way, carrots are rich in beta-carotene as well as water, hence very important cricket food.”
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Fruits
Fruits such as apples, bananas, and oranges are also delicacies for crickets. While apples and bananas are rich in fiber and potassium, respectively, oranges are high in vitamin C. all these nutrients are needed for the good health of crickets.
For apples, feed their cores to your crickets while bananas should be cut in small pieces, approximately ¼ inch thick before they are fed to the insects.
Cat food
Cat food is another favorite food for crickets. If you want to feed your crickets with this food, break two to three pieces of it into smaller pieces (almost powder) using a hammer and then feed them ground food to the insects.
Hopefully, you are now more familiar with crickets than ever before. With the understanding of their diet, you can easily manage the insects. However, if you have a cricket infestation, call Rest Easy Pest Control. We will treat your infestation effectively.
Related Articles:
- Cricket Life Cycle
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- Crickets in Long Island
Source: https://gardencourte.com
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