Crickets: what is eaten in nature and at home

What do crickets eat? This question often arises with the sounds of such a familiar, dimensional song of an insect, symbolizing home comfort and comfort. The mustached "owner of the cottage" always caused a trembling attitude in Rus; Such a crumb can significantly reduce the number of unpleasant numerous neighbors: fleas and cockroaches.

The way of life of cricket

Crickets belong to the suborder of Long-Nosed, squad-winged and number more than 2000 species. They are able to adapt well to the surrounding conditions, feeling comfortable both in hot tropical tropics and in almost barren, dry areas.

Home cricket Acheta domestica lives in natural conditions in the desert territories of North Africa, where water is available only in the form of drops of dew, and vegetation is practically absent. What do crickets eat in nature? In such modest conditions the desert inhabitant does not disdain anything, eats the found organic remains, even long dried up.

Persistently digging in the sand, he finds eggs, larvae and pupae of other insects. At home, in dark cellar corners or under the floor of a hut, the cricket behaves the same way and actively destroys flea nests and cockroach broods. What do crickets eat at home?

Survival Features

Acheta domestica is the only kind of cricket that has managed to adapt to coexistence with humans. This feature allowed the insect to move to the north and live wherever people live. In the summer, the cricket leaves the habitable dwelling and, before the autumn colds, is removed to "free bread".

How do crickets live? What do they eat? It is known that the mustachioed "lodger" is a very modest insect and does not give out his presence except singing. As a rule, only one individual has the right to perform songs on the territory of the dwelling - the male, the strongest in this territory. The rest are expelled, and the struggle for primacy is not for life, but for death. Crickets ruthlessly fight for the championship, tear off each other's mustaches, wings, paws; Quite often the winner eats the loser. The most terrible and shameful wound is the loss of a mustache. The frenzied cricket leaves the battlefield in disgrace, loses the status of a producer and lives in exile, without showing his brothers to the eyes.

Cricket battles

The propensity of crickets to collisions has been successfully used by Asian nations, arranging exciting fights of these insects. For heating, it is enough to place a female between six-legged opponents, for which a serious fight erupts in the same second. Winners of the championship get a comfortable cage, a rich menu and a harem of the most attractive women. The offspring of such a fighter will be evaluated in a huge amount of money.

The masters of the losers lose their fighting spirit by throwing them into the air, which makes the insect spread its wings and fly. Far away the cricket will not fly away, but vivacity in its mood-worn mood will increase significantly. According to research, in flight, an insect produces octopamine - the so-called hormone of fearlessness, which gives the male the ability to fight further.

The way of life of cricket

Cricket is inherent in the nocturnal mode of existence, but the insect with sunset does not forget to sing the well-known rulads. The musical instrument of the cricket is located on the wings; One of the elytra is provided with a "bow" - a thickened vein with a large number of regular teeth, on the other there are "strings" - veins. Also there are "resonators", which are a mirror from the membranes. To extract sound, the cricket lifts the elytra and produces certain movements.

The Italian representative of Oecanthus pellucens Scop stands out with special melodiousness against the background of his fellows. It was this species that the ancient Greeks contained in cages. Masters of Ancient China for this case used vessels made of ceramics - a material capable at times to amplify the sound, issued by a winged musician. By the way, the older the male, the richer his music sounds.

In the struggle for the attention of ladies

Ladies of the heart of male crickets are fastidious enough and force the chevalier to persuade them within a day: waltz around the chosen one, drive away rivals, sing serenades. In case of victory, the male hangs a special sac with a seed material - the spermatophore - to the belly of the ladies of the heart and is quickly retracted. This precaution is due to the fact that a fertilized female becomes very hungry and in the throes of hunger can eat her lover.

Egg laying takes place one week after fertilization. Half a month later, tiny larvae emerge on the surface of the soil. Before the onset of the stage of an adult insect, they will survive 4-6 lines. Strength and size of the jaws - it is for such characteristics that larvae and adult crickets differ.

What do the insect babies eat? Their diet consists of fruits, berries and tender shoots - in general, of fodder.

Home crickets: what do they eat?

Crickets can be successfully maintained at home, using an old aquarium under the residence, at the bottom of which it is recommended to place several stones and snags, pour a layer of sand or earth. The top should be covered with a grid. The created conditions will be appreciated by such interesting insects as crickets. What do moustached pets eat? Practically everything. Grated vegetables, fruits, clover and dandelion leaves, steamed bran, soft caterpillars and pupae, milk, dog and cat food. Adult individuals are able to use the bird feeder, it is recommended that the young plant be scattered evenly over the entire area of the substrate, cleaning plant residues once in 2-3 days. For watering an insect is better to use wet sand or a damp sponge, drinkers do not know how to use crickets.