Egg Harvest and Incubation Protocol

The Incubation Setup

You don’t need an expensive electric incubator. A “Passive Incubator” works perfectly.

1. The Incubation Bin

Take a medium-sized plastic bin with a tight-fitting lid. Place your nesting trays inside.

• The Humidity Boost: Place a small open jar of water or a very wet sponge in the corner of this bin (not inside the egg trays). This keeps the air so humid that the soil in the trays doesn’t dry out.

2. Temperature Management

The eggs need a steady 29^oC to 31^oC.

• If it’s too cold, the eggs will sit there for 20 days and might mold before they hatch.

• If it’s too hot, they will “cook” inside the shell.

• Tip: If your room is cool, wrap the incubation bin in an old blanket or “Maasai Shuka” to keep the heat in.

3. Monitoring the Eyes

After about 7 days, if you look closely at an egg (you might need a magnifying glass or a phone camera zoom), you will see two tiny black dots. These are the eyes of the baby cricket. This is the signal that hatching will happen within 24–48 hours.

The Transfer Protocol

As soon as you see the first 5 or 10 tiny “ants” (the pinheads) crawling on the soil, it’s time to move the tray.

1. Prepare the Hatchling Bin: Have a fresh bin ready with fine food and water (as discussed in the previous section).

2. The Move: Gently place the nesting tray on the floor of the new bin.

3. The Exit: Provide small “ramps” (pieces of cardboard) so the babies can easily climb out of the tray and onto the egg crates in their new home.

Comparison: Incubation Environments

Case Study: The Mombasa Mold Lesson

A farmer in coastal Kenya noticed that her egg trays were turning fuzzy and green during incubation. The air was so humid and still that mold was taking over. She realized she had zero ventilation in her incubation bin. She poked five small holes in the lid and started “fanning” the bin for 30 seconds every morning to let in fresh air. The mold stopped, and her hatch rate jumped from 40% to 90%. She learned that even eggs need to “breathe.”

Important Things to Keep in Mind

• Hands Off: Once the trays are in the incubator, try not to move them or shake them. The developing embryos are very sensitive to vibration.

• Uniformity: Try to keep trays from the same “lay date” together so that all the crickets in one bin are the exact same age.

• The 12-Day Rule: If a tray hasn’t hatched after 14 days, it is likely “dud” or dead. Remove it to prevent mold from spreading.