Environmental Ranges
Environmental Specifications
Learning how crickets fare under a range of environmental conditions is can be likened to a developing a ‘toolkit’ for farming. It identifies cause and effect relationships, that can be used to achieve desired outcomes, avoid undesirable outcomes or remedy issues. However, understanding the environmental ranges of cricket farming does not necessarily translate into an operational, or optimized, cricket farming strategy and method.
Environmental needs are typically identified after a farming strategy and method has been selected. Farming strategies can range from high-density to low-density, while methods can range from labor/experience intensive to highly automated. We excel at working with clients to identify key advantages and constraints, which are then used to inform an optimal farming strategy and method. Following this, we will create a custom-tailored environmental needs report that will then help inform the design and operation of a cricket-farming facility.
Kubo Dzamba
Temperature
|
Temp (in °C) |
Notes |
|
39 |
Maximum recommended temperature for G. assimilis |
|
35 |
Maximum Recommended temperature for G. sigillatus |
|
34 |
Maximum recommended temperature for A. domesticus |
|
30 |
Standard temperature to raise A. domesticus and G. sigillatus |
|
29-31 |
Recommended temperature for incubation |
|
27-30 |
Typical temperatures to raise both species |
|
22-26 |
Recommended temperature for breeding |
|
20 |
Growth curve will be seriously slowed |
|
17 |
Growth time approximately doubles |
|
14 |
Crickets begin entering diapause (hibernation-like state) |
|
12 |
Crickets begin dying |
|
8 |
Most crickets will be dead or in deep hibernation |
|
0 |
95%+ crickets are dead |
|
-3 |
All crickets are dead |
|
-10 |
Deep freeze |
Humidity
|
Relative Humidity (in %) |
Notes |
|
100% |
Condensation occurs, as do serious problems. |
|
80-95% |
Internal humidity in incubating breeding trays. Also great for freshly hatched pinheads for the first 3-7 days of life. |
|
60%+ |
Serious fungal blooms emerge |
|
55% |
High Humidity. Noticeable increase in fungal activity |
|
25-55% |
Typical humidity for crickets |
|
35-50% |
Typical rearing humidity for crickets (humid climates)
|
|
25-35% |
Typical rearing humidity (insulated environments) |
|
<25% humidity |
Too dry. Crickets will suffer, as will workers* |
* At <25% humidity, the internal membranes of your nose will dry out, giving you an itchy, sneezy feeling. At this humidity level, dust is a major danger to workers’ lungs, and dust masks should be used.
Light And Photocycle
Juvenile crickets are intensely photophobic and display negative phototaxis (they move away from light sources). Adult crickets are less photophobic, and some farmers use various light cycles (10 on, 14 off or 12/12, typically) to maximize breeding behaviors.
Crickets are red-blind, so using red lights (or red-wrapped lights) will allow you to work on the crickets without stressing them out. Most farmers would rather have the feeding trays and waterers unpopulated while servicing the containers, though, so will turn on (regular) lights for the 2 hours or so it takes to service each room.
Crickets can see the blue spectrum, and ~500 nm cyan/blue light does attract them, though not strongly enough to use as a harvesting mechanism.
Recommendations
|
Stage |
Recommended Maximum Light Time |
|
Hatching |
0-2 hours of light per day |
|
Pinhead-1 week |
2-4 hours of light per day |
|
Main growing chambers |
2-8 hours of light per day |
|
Breeding |
10-12 hours of light per day |
Air Circulation, Filtration, And Replacement
“Dead air = dead crickets.”
– Many cricket farmers, basically all of the time.
A constant, soft flow of air in your cricket farm will maximize their health.
If the airflow is too strong and directly into the crickets’ containers, it will stress your crickets and reduce yields.
If it is too weak, dust particles, carbon dioxide, and other contaminants will build up, affecting both crickets and workers.
In low-density cricket farms, air circulation and replacement frequency standards should be set to the comfort of human workers. In high-density farming (like the ChirpBox), cricket standards become more critical.
Air filtration and purification becomes necessary only in high-density spaces (typically, breeding, incubation, and hatching rooms, or in high-density builds like the ChirpBox).
This topic is complex and requires understanding of a number of important formulas. Set up an appointment with Jakub Dzamba or other build specialists here to learn more.