Grasshopper Breeding

[Nosybe]

Since winter is closing in fast where I live I decided to give grasshopper breeding a try since my guys love grasshoppers but I don't want to risk the parasites. I collected 12 adult red legged grasshoppers last week and put them in a 5 gal tank with soil, some damp cornflakes and some native grasses. The temp is pretty high in my bedroom so I just keep them in there. It is about 20-25 C in the day and a bit lower at night. I have seen one female laying eggs and three pairs mating this morning. Does anyone know how I should incubate the eggs? Is it similar to crickets because that I've got down. also, any thoughts on how to avoid diapause?

Note: Corn flakes are like steroids for these guys, they can't seem to get enough of them.

 

[Nosybe]

Any one have any experience with breeding grasshoppers?

 

[Todnedo]

I've been breeding Red legs, 2 stripe, differential and green wing since April.
The green wings were adult in april and laid eggs that hatched in may but the nymphs have yet to mature.
The rest were nymphs that matured and laid eggs but none have hatched yet. looks like they will not hatch untill spring.
I am going to put the eggs in the fridge for a month or two then warm them up and give them a 12-14 a day photo period to see if that will break diapause.

the red legs are a late season breeders so it might take several months for them to hatch after I remove them from the fridge.

http://insected.arizona.edu/ghopperrear.htm

 

[Nosybe]

Thanks for the info. Today I found a large female on the bottom of the cage twitching her legs and not moving. I thought she was a goner so I disected her and found her egg bound! I quickly buried the eggs in some damp sand, will they hatch or are the dead?

 

[Nosybe]

They hatched today! For some reason I only have about 10 that hatched. Incubation time for the eggs was 1 week of diapause in the fridge and three weeks of about 93 degrees F. They are sooooo tiny, I will probably have to wait for a couple weeks to get them to feeder size.