Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) are a great alternative to fruit flies and baby crickets. Pros they are easy to breed. They won't smell, escape or make noise. Cons they need bright light and won't ship well. They are commonly used as feeders for dartfrogs and are fine for pygmy chameleons and hatchlings.
To breed theas you need to know how to grow peas. Yellow or green peas are used. You need to grow the peas to about 10 cm shots, then you add 5-10 pea aphids and wayth about 14 days. You can grow peas on cotton or soil. You will commonly find aphnids in fly cups on cotton. You get a better result if you keep them on soil and in a larger container. If you shipp theam do the fly cup with cotton. You need restart the colonies when the peas start to wither.
To harvest the aphids simply cut a shoot with aphids on and transfer it to the terrarium. The aphids will start to wander the terrarium when the have exhaust the shot. They wont harm your plants unless its in the pea family.
I dont know if you can get them in the US.
To breed theas you need to know how to grow peas. Yellow or green peas are used. You need to grow the peas to about 10 cm shots, then you add 5-10 pea aphids and wayth about 14 days. You can grow peas on cotton or soil. You will commonly find aphnids in fly cups on cotton. You get a better result if you keep them on soil and in a larger container. If you shipp theam do the fly cup with cotton. You need restart the colonies when the peas start to wither.
To harvest the aphids simply cut a shoot with aphids on and transfer it to the terrarium. The aphids will start to wander the terrarium when the have exhaust the shot. They wont harm your plants unless its in the pea family.
I dont know if you can get them in the US.
