1st cricket encounter

[Paarthurnax]

funny and just have to share.

So got my 1st shipment of on-line crickets from one of the recommended sites here. anyway box of 500 1/2 grown bugs show up yesterday waiting for me when I got home. I was all jazzed and expecting them to be in some sort of other container inside the box I cut the tape and opened er up.

Whoops now had 10 crickets immediately escape onto the kitchen counter. After closing the box and gathering up as many as I could and putting them in the enclosure with "Jim the bug eater". Now to solve the problem of getting all remaining 500 ish crickets riding on egg crates into my large Rubbermaid container without them going everywhere again. So outside we go and the follies resumed, with open box quickly dump crates with crickets and then bang box for remaining. Nope still 100 or so clinging to box inner. Geeze. close box chase down the escapees and then come up with cutting corner off box and bang them out that way.

So who has an easier way add who is snickering because I am so dumb. Heck I am giggling just thinking about it.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I laugh only because my first experience was about the same, I looked in the mesh sides thinking hmm how am I going to get them out?.. I learned over the 4+ years of housing/raising crickets that the easiest way is about how you did it (I also got the 500 1/2")...I have my big rubbermade container, while holding the box lid closed use a box knife cut the tape then while holding the box closed open 1 flap watch for escapee's then open the other side (so you should have the other 2 flaps still closed.) then flip the box over the rubber made and give a swift downward shake. the egg crates and the majority of crickets should come out. Then you just keep bangin' the sides and bottom until the remaining ones fall out. there are always a few that hang on and the bottom of the box flaps there are always a few under those..
It takes a few shipments to minimize the escapee's

 

[PatsyB]

Sorry, I laughed too. We've all been there! Although, I think I freaked out more when I opened up the box of 500 supers to find they were just in the box and not in a container.

I have a 10 gallon fish tank that I keep them in. I cut the tape with a box cutter and then flip the box over into the tank and shake shake shake! Lots of banging the box with one hand and knocking it into the sides of the tank to get them all out. They mostly hide underneath the bottom flaps. When I first started getting bulk crickets I would put the tank in the bathtub and shake it out in there. That way any escapes would be stuck in the tub and I can just pick them up and put them in the tank.

 

[Paarthurnax]

Yea, my co-workers are all getting a chuckle out of it as well. It's like anything else ya gotta pay your dues.

 

[Ann Coyne]

Been there as well! I switched to raising silkworms.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yep after years of raising/housing crickets I've switched to raising Dubia roaches... way easier in all aspects not to mention better nutrition than crickets. But I will tell you when I've gotten a couple shipments of roaches it has been comical getting them out of the fabric bags!!! Very grippy bugs...fabric bags...creepd out me = me talking out loud don't fling them across the room don't fling them across the room as they are crawling on my hands......... GROSS

 

[Paarthurnax]

Yea ordering Dubias today. is that offer still available from the for sale section?

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yea ordering Dubias today. is that offer still available from the for sale section?

you would need to check it out with him but Brandon was awesome and the roaches he sent all made it except 1 small nymph