Field Cricket

Field crickets are insects of order Orthoptera. These crickets are in subfamily Gryllinae of family Gryllidae.

They hatch in spring, and the young crickets (called nymphs) eat and grow rapidly. They shed their skin (molt) eight or more times before they become adults.

Field crickets eat a broad range of feeds: seeds, plants, or insects (dead or alive). They are known to feed on grasshopper eggs, pupae of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) and Diptera (flies). Occasionally they may rob spiders of their prey. They will also practice cannibalism if they are very hungry.

"Field cricket" is a common name for Gryllus assimilis, Gryllus bimaculatus, Gryllus campestris, Gryllus firmus, Gryllus pennsylvanicus, Gryllus rubens, and Gryllus texensis, along with other members of various genera including Acheta, Gryllodes, Gryllus, and Teleogryllus.

Acheta domesticus (the house cricket) and Gryllus bimaculatus are sometimes raised in captivity for use as live food for exotic pets. Ironically, one of the ways to produce the most nutritious crickets is to feed them dry pet food.