Wüstenheuschrecken

    Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria)

    Text: Heiko Werning

    weiblich

    Over the last few years, desert locusts have developed from an insider tip to one of the most well-liked feeder animals. Their characteristics as feeder animals are similar to those of the Egyptian walking grasshoppers, however they bring variety to your predator‘s menu and are somewhat larger.

    As a general rule of thumb, it is a good idea to feed your terrarium dwellers as many different types of insects as possible. Simply from an optical point of view, the locusts create a real eye-opening effect – even for many terrarium dwellers, birds and small mammals – since they have brilliant colours and look very different than the „standard“ migratory locusts, at least until they reach the sub-adult stage. And it‘s generally a feast for the eyes – even for the caretaker, for whom the good-looking delicacies also offer an exciting change of pace.

    As feeder insects, desert locusts such as the Egyptian walking grasshoppers are suitable as both a main source of feed as well as supplementary feed for almost all insect-eating predators. However, in comparison to the migratory locusts, the desert locusts have strong thorns on their jumping legs. Due to their stately size, they are the perfect feed for even large pets and their jumping/flapping propulsion ignites an irresistible hunting instinct for many lizards, frogs, birds and small mammals. Advantages that even smaller predators can enjoy, since the young desert locusts are just as good and well-liked as other types of prey. In other words: perfect feeder animals.

    However, their breeding is difficult. Breeding requires a high degree of technical expertise and expense, elaborate logistics, perfect hygienic conditions and the continuous supply with suitable fodder crops. Good thing that this really arduous task is handled by BUGS-INTERNATIONAL.

    We ensure that the charismatic feeder insects are available to you on a reliable, year-round basis and at reasonable prices. This way, you do not have to cope with the breeding of these heat- and light-sensitive feeder insects.

    Speaking of insider information: As opposed to the well-known Egyptian walking grasshoppers, the desert locusts have a few aces up their sleeves. Not only are they far more colourful. They are also a bit quieter and have less of a tendency to jump away when handling them in their box, which makes them even easier to feed, also for the novice feeder. And they are somewhat less complicated than the at times very selective Egyptian walking grasshoppers in terms of short-term diet. However, they react in the same manner as any other type of insect (see section „Handling the desert locusts“); in other words: handle with care!

    • In general, as a consumer you will find desert locusts in the pet store in four different sizes: smaller, medium, „sub-adult“ and „adult“ (sexual mature, fully grown) desert locusts. Some retailers offer locusts in a terrarium and not in a package. If you intend to keep the locusts for a longer period of time, then this is quite advantageous to ensure the vitality of the locusts. As a consumer you can also purchase them individually.

    • Animals that survive in the desert must be quite tough and must not break down easily. Our desert locusts are tough: they are up to 8 cm long and are the largest feeder insects available in retail. At least the females – and they clearly have the pants on. The males remain about 2 cm smaller. The males even let themselves be carried around by the larger females. A very beneficial position – particularly in terms of reproduction; all in all, the male desert locusts have carved out a nice niche for themselves.

      Adult desert locusts are yellow, sometimes they even glow. The dark-veined wings are in an attractive, stark contract to this body colour. Without question, desert locusts are not only a feast for your pet‘s stomach, but also for its eyes.

      Even the small desert locusts are a terrific ornament. By the way, the desert locusts hatch from eggs that are embedded in a foamy mass – a type of organic foam in stick form. Please do not be surprised if these types of „foam sticks“ are located in the containers of adult desert locusts.

      Enabling healthy young locusts to emerge from these eggs is a bit difficult and you should leave that to the professionals at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL. Upon hatching, the larvae are about 8 mm „long“ and have a light-green colour. The colour changes rather quickly and they then turn yellow/black. You can see – we are enthralled by our beauties! And on top of that – they are so nutritious!

      In their natural habitats, desert locusts usually live alone and do not make any major changes in their dwelling. However, similar to the Egyptian walking grasshoppers, every once in awhile the desert locusts turns its back on this cosy lifestyle and enters the wandering phase of its life. Then they meet and form huge swarms and start off into the great unknown. In doing so, they often cover an enormous distances in order to find new habitats with fresh food reserves.

      Desert locusts in this phase of their lives are also very different from the „normal“ locusts. They can lay more eggs and are able to fly further – a hormonal change makes it possible. Zoologist call this part of their lives (which doesn‘t always happen, but only if there is an over-population of locusts) the social phase.

      And, have you noticed? What is the scientific name of our desert flowers? Precisely: Schistocerca gregaria – they have been pretty much born with wanderlust.
      Desert locusts can be found naturally in large sections of Africa where – and the name divulges it – there is a lot of arid landscape. Perhaps not in true deserts, but in thornbush steppes and Savannah-like landscapes. In English, these insects are also known as „desert grasshoppers“

    • Desert locusts have not been available in large quantities as live feed for very long. Due to the breeding success at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL, they have long since lost their status as an insider tip and today they are fully integrated in the terrarium-keeping hobby.

      It‘s no wonder, based on the amount of effort we expend for our locusts. Every one of our breeding boxes has its own illumination, since desert locusts love it when it is bright and warm. At night, they enjoy cooler temperatures; at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL, we regulate this as well. Good thing that the roofs of our expansive facilities have all be fitted with solar panels. We had already completed the conversion to green energy before the term had even be coined.

      Speaking of green energy: we offer our locusts fresh green energy feed every day in organic form, because desert locusts love fresh food. And they truly have the appetite of an entire swarm of locusts; you can take our word for it. BUGS-INTERNATIONAL has access to the best Bavarian fields in order to grow and maintain a sufficient amount of green fodder for the billions of hungry locust mouths.

      Desert locusts are very picky about their food: if there are even the slightest hints of pesticides or other chemical impurities, then this will have fatal consequences for the sensitive insects. That‘s why we harvest the green fodder during the summer months on our own 34,000 m2 farm. However, that is not always sufficient in being able to still their hunger, and desert locusts really enjoy a healthy dose of variety in their diet. That is why we have huge halls solely dedicated to growing wheat, since the locusts love the fresh wheat seedlings. Several thousands of square kilometres sowing area are available in order to be able to feed our desert locusts during the winter months as well.

      This raw food diet is supplemented by a secret recipe of dry foods through which we can also optimise the introduction of vitamins and minerals. That doesn‘t just guarantee us a merry band of locusts, but you will always receive fresh and healthy food for your lizards, turtles, frogs, small mammals and birds. It makes sense that we wouldn‘t leave any stone unturned here, either. The ingredients in our dry food are controlled by independent labs for any sign of contaminants and residues so that our insects are only fed premium quality food.

      In their luxurious heated and lit breeding boxes, the desert locusts have specially designed furniture at their disposal. Our special plastic / stainless steel „locust queen-sized beds“ enable the insects to enjoy enough space to rest and hide. In addition, the „beds“ are very easy to care for, i.e. to clean and to disinfect. The comprehensive cleaning of the boxes must be undertaken multiple times during the growth cycle.

      Which brings us to the next pillar of success in the breeding of locusts at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL:

      Absolute cleanliness and hygienic conditions.

      Our employees ensure that the containers housing the desert locusts are regularly and completely cleaned, sterilised and disinfected. We don‘t even give germs a chance – correspondingly we do not use any pharmaceuticals whatsoever (and of course no growth hormones or the like) and we ensure that our feed is also free from contaminants of any kind. Optimal diet and fastidious cleanliness (and you don‘t really need anything more than that) are all you need to keep top fit desert locusts. Okay, perhaps you will need a little bit more, but we didn‘t want to write a novel on the subject.

      All boxes and egg storage bins must be cleaned on a permanent basis. Our industrial cleaning systems do not just ensure that the very last piece of dirt is washed out of the tiniest corner; they also ensure that afterwards all containers are disinfected before they again offer our desert locusts a safe home.

    • Moisture: 65%
      Crude protein: 20%
      Crude fat: 11%
      Crude ash: 1%

      Attached you will find the exact findings of the analyses. Published with the friendly approval of Dr. Wolf, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover.

    • You will receive desert locusts from BUGS-INTERNATIONAL in four different sizes: „Adult“, „Sub-adult“, „Medium“ and „Small“. That means that for every terrarium dweller – for every bird and for every small mammal – there is a suitable sized insect.

      So that the desert locusts make your pets happy, our employees count them precisely and place them into the transport boxes. Egg storage bins serve as a cosy resting place for the journey. It‘s actually quite unnecessary to explain that we only use brand new egg storage bins that are in pristine hygienic condition.

      We have several special small transporters available that transport the valuable freight in the shortest period of time from our Bavarian-based breeding operations to pet retail stores throughout Germany. The rest is sent per express delivery. The best thing to do is to come to an agreement with your pet store owner and get your desert locusts directly on the day they arrive. Your live feed cannot be any fresher than that! It would be best to feed your desert locusts as soon as possible, since they are best and at their most nutritious when they come directly from our breeding facilities.

      In their transport boxes, our desert locusts are dry and cosy during the time it takes them to make the journey from our facilities to your terrarium. However, for a longer storage period that last several days, you should allow our desert beauties some rest before feeding them to your pets.

      Place the locust into larger terrariums or tanks. These must be fitted with a light bulb. Ideal for this are „fauna boxes“ which can be purchased inexpensively in any pet store. These have a practical mesh lid including a flap for easy handling. This way you can easily care for the locusts (and also easily remove them for feeding).

      One positive aspect of the desert locust is their relatively uncomplicated diet if you are keeping them for a longer period of time. Offer the locusts some select dry food, such as organic wheat bran or wheat flakes. You are already aware of the preference the desert locusts have for fresh green fodder – but beware! Unfortunately, the greeneries that you can purchase in the supermarket for human consumption are not necessarily close to the quality standards we place in our locust feed at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL.

      Even the robust desert locusts react very sensitively to chemical residues or they can transfer these to your pets; if you buy the wrong „fresh food“ you may end up wiping out the entire supply of locusts. And all of our painstaking and time-consuming efforts should not be for naught!

      So: even here please only use feed that you have acquired from trustworthy sources – the best would be using self-pulled wheat or grass from organic fields or from your own garden, as long as this is not located on a busy main road or is regularly treated with fertilisers and pesticides.

      Fruits and vegetables are not on a part of the menu and they can quickly kill feeder insects – as can moist feed or water.

      For short-term feeding, the less risky dry feed and some type of moisture with untreated white cabbage would be sufficient; however, locusts generally do not like food changeovers. Please pay special attention that the locust box does not get wet; locusts are very sensitive to an environment that is too moist.

      Since you are not looking to breed any insects, you do not need to keep the high temperatures that we must ensure in our breeding process. However, when keeping the locusts for several days, please ensure a comfortable temperature between 25°–30° C.

      And that the locust boxes are thoroughly cleansed before the fresh supply of new feeder insects arrives from BUGS-INTERNATIONAL goes without saying.

      Desert locusts as feeder animals

      Without a doubt, desert locusts belong to the best feeder animals that you can buy for your pets. Almost all insect-eating terrarium animals absolutely love eating these insects. The manner in which the insects jump as they move forward will guarantee that your pet‘s hunting instincts will be triggered.

      Furthermore, desert locusts seem to be well-liked by almost all insect-eaters – from frogs and lizards to insect-eating snakes, birds and small mammals and even marmosets. However, it is no secret that some species or sometimes even individual animals aren‘t that fascinated by the locusts, most likely because of their well-protected and thorny jumping legs that often lead to injuries in the jaw area of chameleons.

      The broad spectrum ranging from the smallest locust from the „small“ package to the „adult“ locusts ensures that almost every animal beginning with the small lizard and medium-sized frogs will really enjoy this meal.

      In particular, large locusts are the perfect feed for all larger insect-eaters that are difficult to fill up. For many lizards that are often fed mice or even meat, desert locusts are the far more natural and healthier food! It doesn‘t matter if water dragons, basiliscus, blue-tongued skinks, gerrhosauridae, all types of small and medium-sized monitor lizards, large lizards such as the ocellated lizard – all of them love eating the adult desert locusts.

      Due to the elaborate breeding of BUGS-INTERNATIONAL, this premium food is available to you on a year-round basis at reasonable prices so that you do not have to resort to purchasing questionable alternatives, as are often sold online or through older periodicals or magazines (mail order). Leave the canned food for your cat or dog to eat – your lizards, frogs, turtles and other insect-eaters will be served delicious, crispy, jump-crazy locusts!

      The young locusts can be fed – depending on the selected size – to practically all terrarium dwellers, all the way down to the size class of the Carolina anole and red-eyed tree frog. Across the board, insect-eating birds and small mammals react fanatically to the jumping locusts.

      One advantage of the desert locusts is their contrast-rich colour that has a magical effect on some terrarium dwellers or insect-eaters. And generally speaking, a little variety is good for your pets, even in terms of appearance! Our lovely desert locusts stimulate the senses.

      Despite the optimal diet and care of the locusts with vitamins and minerals, we at BUGS-INTERNATIONAL recommend powdering the locusts with a preparation containing vitamins and minerals, since the feeding insects also break down nutrients due to their metabolism.

      Desert locusts are also excellent feeder animals because as active insects during the day they are drawn to light and do not hide from it; instead they bask in it. Therefore, they can simply be placed in the terrarium or the tank; sooner or later your pets will become aware of the delicious visitors.

      Only offer as many locusts as the animals can eat in a short period of time, because one of the few disadvantages of the desert locust is that they will start eating the terrarium plants if they have enough time to do so. In addition, the mineral powder does not stick to the insects forever. So that it does its job, the locusts should be eaten quickly. Of course, you can also feed the locusts by hand or using tweezers.

      All in all, desert locusts are perfectly suited as a main dish as well as supplementary food for almost all insect-eaters.

      Escaped desert locusts do not cause any problems. Should one of the insects get away from you – which shouldn‘t happen very often with the portly desert locusts – simply just go and catch it. As already mentioned, desert locusts do not hide. They do not run away or try to escape from humans and therefore can be easily handled, even if they are excellent jumpers. But you‘ll figure out what you need to do in due time.

    • Advantages of desert locusts as feeder animals:

      • Are loved by almost all insect-eaters
      • Very nutritious, healthy and digestible
      • Their motion attracts the immediate attention of most insect-eaters.
      • Their contrast-rich colour has a stimulating effect on many insect-eaters
      • They do not chirp
      • Very easy to handle
      • Do not hide in the terrarium
      • Do not try to escape; do not hide in the flat

      Disadvantages of desert locusts as feeder animals:

      • Difficult to keep the insects over a longer period of time; best to regularly purchase fresh
      • Very cannibalistic at higher temperatures
      • Strong thorns on their jumping legs
      • May eat poisonous terrarium plants and, in doing so, may pass the poison to the terrarium dwellers