Breeding Habitat and Egg Laying Media

Setting Up the Nursery Trays

A nesting tray is usually a small, shallow plastic container (like a margarine tub or a takeaway food container) filled with a damp “substrate” (bedding).

1. Choosing the Substrate

You need a material that holds water well but doesn’t grow mold easily.

Coco-Peat: The gold standard in Kenya. It is made from coconut husks, is naturally sterile, and holds moisture for a long time.
Sieved Soil: If you are on a budget, use dark garden soil. You must sieve it to remove stones and “heat-treat” it (put it in a pan over a fire for a few minutes) to kill any ants or mites that might eat the cricket eggs.
Cotton Wool: Some farmers use wet cotton wool covered with a bit of fine mesh. It’s very clean, but it dries out faster than soil.

2. The Dampness Test

The soil should be moist, not muddy.

The Squeeze Test: Take a handful of the soil and squeeze it. It should hold its shape like a ball, but no water should drip out between your fingers. If water drips, it’s too wet and the eggs will “drown” or rot.

3. Protecting the Eggs

Crickets are opportunistic eaters; they will dig up and eat their own eggs if they can.

The Mesh Cover: Wrap the top of your nesting tray with a piece of fine metal or plastic mosquito mesh. The female cricket can stick her ovipositor through the holes to lay the eggs, but she (and the males) cannot reach down to eat them.

Identifying the Breeders

In your adult bin, you will notice three types of crickets:

The Males: They have wrinkled-looking wings and make the “chirp” sound.
The Females: They have smooth wings and a long, dark “needle” (the ovipositor) sticking out of their tail.
The Nymphs: They have no wings yet and cannot breed.

Case Study: The Dry Soil Disaster in Eldoret

A farmer in Eldoret placed his nesting trays in the bins but forgot to check them for three days during a windy, dry spell. The top layer of the soil turned into hard crust. The female crickets couldn’t penetrate the soil with their ovipositors, so they began laying eggs on top of the egg trays. By the time the farmer noticed, the eggs had shriveled and died. He learned to “top up” the moisture with a spray bottle every morning and evening. Since then, his hatch rate has doubled.

Important Things to Keep in Mind

Timing is Key: Only leave the nesting tray in the adult bin for 24 to 48 hours. If you leave it longer, you will have too many eggs in one tray, and the babies will compete for food as soon as they hatch.
Label Everything: Use a permanent marker to write the “Date Removed” on the side of the tray. This tells you exactly when to expect the babies.
Avoid Chemicals: Never use “potting soil” from a florist that contains chemical fertilizers; these will kill the eggs instantly.