Mn. Parajulee et al., MODEL FOR USE IN MASS-PRODUCTION OF ACHETA-DOMESTICUS (ORTHOPTERA, GRYLLIDAE) AS FOOD, Journal of economic entomology, 86(5), 1993, pp. 1424-1428
A production model was developed that simulates the harvest of a prede
termined number of eggs of house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L.), per
day by regulating the numbers and ages of adults in the breeding colon
y. With a discard age of 24 d, the production model predicted a sustai
nable harvest of almost-equal-to 4,000 (4,440) and 6,000 (6,660) crick
ets per day when four or six pairs, respectively, of newly emerged adu
lts were added per day to an initial breeding colony of 50 pairs. Nata
lity was based on the number of nymphs surviving to 7 d per surviving
female, after which little nymphal mortality occurred. Ovipositional s
urface area availability was not a limiting factor in egg production.