Mediterranean field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus)
Text: Heiko Werning
If love goes through the stomach, then the Mediterranean field cricket is pure romantic. No feeding insect has a more beautiful chirping (and maybe more annoying) and lets a slice of a lazy Mediterranean summer night permeate the living room. If you are trying to impress your date, you might be in luck – the partner of your dreams may become weak and fall into your arms; or flip out.
At the same time, the Mediterranean field crickets ensure that the terrarium dwellers are well-nurtured and full. The Mediterranean field crickets are extremely robust and represent a hearty meal, even for the larger inhabitants of your terrarium. But even robust crickets start small. The freshly hatched babies are only 3 mm long and resemble ants. And they are also nice and black, which makes them very appealing for all ant-eating animals.
Mediterranean field crickets are nocturnal, however they are far less sensitive to light than house crickets. They also flee a lot less quickly than the majority of the feeding insects and therefore are perfect for terrarium dwellers who aren‘t the quickest. However, they can also spend a long time just sitting still, which is tough on the predators who are motion-sensitive and wait for their prey to move; this can be a test of patience, at least for the interested onlookers. Moreover, Mediterranean field crickets are well protected: Even a larger lizard has to chew pretty hard in order to be able to swallow this delicacy.
Regardless if a fill-in for ants or a juicy steam for strong pets – the field crickets belong to the standard fare among feeder insects, even though they are aggressive and contain bitter substances!
The memories of the last holiday in Spain or in France that crop up when one hears the pleasant chirping sounds, are not totally unfounded. The natural habitat of the Mediterranean field crickets is – surprise, surprise! – the Mediterranean region. This includes the region stretching from Portugal to Greece, where they are in great supply. So it is entirely possible that while you were sitting on the porch of your holiday home and casting your gaze across the ocean, you heard crickets that were chirping songs about the lush life their cousins were living at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL, all expenses paid!
Small
Medium
Adult
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The Mediterranean field crickets from BUGS-INTERNATIONAL are available in the pet store in the following sizes: micro, small, medium and large.
The beautiful black lacquered and shiny insects grow to a length of up to 35 mm. What stands out are the two lights spots at the base of the wings of adult insects; these two marks are the reason why the field cricket is also known as the „Zweifleckgrille“ (cricket with two spots) in German-speaking countries. These spots are also repeated in the insect‘s scientific name: „bimaculatus“ means „two-spotted“. On the other hand, in English they are referred to as „black crickets“ based on their mainly black colour. The red-brown rear legs of the male create a charming contrast to the body – without a question, black crickets are true beauties, in particular if one is keen on ample shapes.
If you take a look at the various stages, then you might believe that you are always looking at the same insect. While the babies are still black but the two spots are clearly visible, the crickets turn a shade of grey – something better recognised when taking a closer look with a magnifying glass. However, different from human beings, the greying of the insect does not progress with age; when the insect hits middle age, it‘s appearance changes back to metallic black – no live-cell therapy or dyeing required. The wings of the male insect, which are responsible for the powerful chirping sound, are transparent and vary in colour from brownish to golden brown. The wings of the female are not as colourful. Only the male insects chirp using their wings; the females remain silent. It is possible that some male humans kind of like that idea.
On their abdomens, the females have a long stinger, which can definitely be a dangerous weapon. However, it is entirely harmless and is only used for reproduction: With the help of this laying stinger, the crickets „inject“ their eggs into a suitable area. The laying stinger can also still be detected in older young insects.
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At BUGS-INTERNATIONAL we spend the entire year sparing no expenses in order produce and always have available lively field crickets. The right temperature, light, a healthy and balanced diet with our own secret recipe only made from feed that does not contain any additives. Growth hormones, hormones and medication are not permitted; contaminants and pesticides are of course also not permitted. So that we can be certain that this is really the case, we let every batch of feed run through an independent laboratory test to ensure that no harmful substances or undesired residues are left behind.
And then there is the most important challenge: cleanliness! You‘ll notice this yourself, most certainly when it comes to Mediterranean field crickets. If they do not house under hygienic conditions, the crickets tend to release an acrid smell and dead field crickets tend to turn soft quickly and are very unappetizing. If you do not keep you Mediterranean field crickets in a clean environment, then their aroma will let you know it: the smell is mouldy and pungent, like in a tomb.
For this very reason, the cricket breeding beds are regularly cleaned and polished several times during a cycle using highly modern industrial washing systems at high temperatures. Thereafter they are disinfected. This way, no even the slightest hint of mould can occur. The sponges we use to water our insects, as well as the bowls and cups used go through the same handling process. That goes without saying.
We never give germs any chance to multiply: In their breeding containers, the crickets live on egg cartons that offer them a place to move around and to hide. Of course, we only use new egg cartons, since eggs can distribute diseases such as salmonella poisoning.
And this is the same process by which we put the crickets into the retail boxes: with a freshly manufactured egg carton and a delicious picnic for the trip.
This is the very reason why, through the entire year the insects supplied by BUGS-INTERNATIONAL are top fit and healthy, not only to your satisfaction, but also that of your terrarium dwellers.
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Advantages
• Available year-round in all sizes
• Even large insect eaters get their money‘s worth with adult Mediterranean field crickets
• Not good jumpers
• Do not run and hide immediately, even not during the daytime
• Suitable for slower predators
• Can be kept for a longer period of time
• Excellent nutritional valueDisadvantages:
• Loud chirping
• Are not enjoyed equally by all predators because of their shell and their smell
• Often remain motionless for long periods of time and are not always immediately recognised as prey by the predators
• Are aggressive and have been known to attack predators
• Very cannibalistic
• Heat sensitive during shipping
• Very pungent bitterness (are often spit out or not eaten in the first place) -
We transport the Mediterranean field crickets in our specialised vehicles that have been constructed for this purpose or by express freight to our wholesalers and retailers so that the feeding insects arrive in the best possible quality.
The rest is up to you. The crickets should never remain in the transport boxes for longer than a few days, since then the nutrients are lost. We also feed our „little ones“ with minerals and vitamins on a daily basis in order to guarantee your mammals the best possible nutrition. The best case would be if you came and picked up your feeder animals immediately after they have been delivered to your local pet store. Feed as many as you can while they are still „fresh“. Over the short-term, you may store them at 18 °C, since at this temperature the metabolism slows down and some minerals are retained.
Anyone still hanging around the house can then be serenaded with a little holiday cheer. Offer them fresh air and exercise. Use a so-called „Fauna box“ for each cricket size; it works wonders. You can purchase these cheaply from your local pet store. Add fresh tubercle – now the holiday retreat is perfectly suited to host you Mediterranean field crickets.
A good location for the cricket boxes is in a small lockable room. Very clever terrarium owners even construct a small, lockable feeding insect cabinet that can be insulated with Styrofoam. That doesn‘t just retain the heat, but also mutes the chirping sound significantly, just in case you are not in the mood for year-round holiday feeling. One more thing about the temperature: This should be adjusted based on how big you really want your crickets to get. For values in the lowest segment (approx. 20 °C) they grow slowly; at 30 °C, significantly faster. The temperatures should not rise above this.
The Mediterranean field crickets enjoy the same conditions as the rest of us: warm and dry. However, dry does not mean that we should let the critters dehydrate! Otherwise, your little chirping insects will quickly fall silent, since they are very cannibalistic. Providing water is very important. However, open water dishes, bird baths and similar contraptions are unsuitable. These objects can be death traps for some of your insects, or even worse: they can quickly wet the entire container. And then the romantic cricket chirping is passé as the beautiful beach turns into sticky mud.
So: A small dish in which you can place a moist cotton pad is the perfect solution. If the cotton is changed on a daily basis and replaced by a new, clean and nicely moistened piece of cotton and if the dish is also cleaned on a daily basis, then the cricket motel with full room and board is perfect.
Unless of course, the basic requirement of a good all-inclusive holiday is missing: the buffet. But wait. Don‘t simply just lump together mountains of food, otherwise it gets disgusting, even for the crickets.
Crickets love wheat flakes or even cereal mixes. Best bet is you always use „organic“ food, since the residues of pesticides and the insects themselves do not get along very well. In their natural habitats, Mediterranean field crickets satisfy their moisture requirements via the plants that they eat. This type of moist food contains risks: contaminants, insecticides and other substances that do not agree with an insect‘s stomach are unfortunately no stranger to some of the foods we find in our supermarkets. In other words, don‘t risk it.
Basically, the perfect all-inclusive cricket holiday makes certain that the feeder animals arrive safely at their intended destination – the destination that BUGS-INTERNATIONAL had in mind while providing weeks and months of loving and nurturing care and the reason why you purchased them – namely feed for your terrarium creatures. These can be reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, fish, birds or small mammals. And in excellent shape and condition. We believe only a properly fed cricket is a good cricket. Empty insect zombies have no value for your animals and can even be harmful.
Mediterranean field crickets as feeder animals
Through their wide spectrum of size, the Mediterranean field cricket is a very suitable feeder animal for practically all insect-eating pets, however they are often not eaten due to their bitterness.
The firmness of the grown cricket is like a juicy steak to all larger sized terrarium dwellers, from the small monitor lizards to the bearded dragon and the large skinks, common tree frog, leaf frog and South American horned frogs, but also for insect-eating fish, birds, tenrecs, hedgehogs and other mammals.
The ant-like cricket babies are perfect for all animals that are small themselves or enjoy eating small-sized food, in particular for animals whose diet includes ants. And the larvae stages in between satisfy the appetite of most insect-eating pets in many different sizes.
However, beware:
The Mediterranean field cricket is a very aggressive insect and can only be fed to your terrarium dweller in a controlled manner, since they have been known to attack their predators. Since the two-spotted field cricket does not „run and hide“ as quickly as other crickets during the daytime, they are also very good prey for slower predators who also have the requisite jaw strength to crack the hard shell of the field crickets.
If you want to avoid that the Mediterranean field crickets run around in the terrarium at night (and begin extended chirping concerts), then you are best suited to feed the crickets to your predators with a tweezers. Or only put as many crickets into the terrarium as you are certain will be eaten by your animals
Of course it can always happen that a Mediterranean field crickets escapes, even if these crickets are comparatively slower than others and not as content with jumping around.
First the good news: You do not have to worry that the escapees will multiply in your flat or house. This won‘t happen because the demands of the Mediterranean field cricket are far too high – and that is why at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL we put so much effort into providing the best environment for the creatures! The escaped Mediterranean field crickets will stay amongst themselves.
However: Lonely hearts will do everything they can to change their situation. The same applies to the Mediterranean field crickets. Individual male crickets chirp long and loud in the hopes of attracting a female. As previously mentioned, this chirping can also rev up the engines of the human home owners, as man and woman reflect on the hot holiday nights in faraway places. But let‘s be honest – it can also be pretty annoying. Because the Mediterranean field crickets chirp very loudly.
However, there is no reason to despair: The standard available sticky traps can be used to effectively limit the proliferation of the crickets in the apartment and most of the time the escaped wannabe Romeos can be easily recaptured – the Julias can also be recaptured easily. This way, the romantic field crickets can be reunited. We strongly advise against using insect sprays!
Alternative
You do not own an animal that eats insects? Your next trip to the Mediterranean Sea won‘t happen, since the federal government needs your money to help some countries avoid bankruptcy? Aggravating, but: You‘ll still have enough change left to pay for a package of Mediterranean field crickets from BUGS-INTERNATIONAL, even after taxes. And presto: the background sounds to accompany your holiday in Italy or Greece is perfect. You can also buy some spaghetti to complete the deal. It‘s inexpensive.