Cricket birthcontrol?

[nocturnalpulsem]

Anybody discover a way to keep the friggin crix from droppin a zillion pinheads into an enclosure? I really dislike the idea of throwing half my crix away, and if you ask the people to fish out males only they look at you like you're from another planet.

Can you seal the ovipositor (spell?)? Cauterize it, superglue it, something? Or will the undeposited eggs cause it to explode? ;P
If it would that would make it worth trying anyway LoL

I really wish my Ts would eat something else...they've been boycotting worms since Feb.

N.

 

[Longbord1]

just rip the females ovipositors out u know the black sticks coming out of their butts they come out fast and effortlessly

 

[RugbyDave]

Actually, they can still lay eggs without the ovipositors...

you can go real crazy and burn the ends of the ovipositors.
Or you can be creative and do a snip-and-burn...
kind of like saudering the end off...

but just snipping them off or ripping them off doesn't neccesarily work. I used to do that and still got the crix.

maybe you're having luck by just ripping the ovipositors off, but not me i know there was a thread a couple weeks about the same thing. Use the search button at the top of the page to search for it if you want.

good luck

peace
dave

 

[conipto]

Having recently had a pinhead infestation, I'll be feeding the big inch long ovipositor females to my good feeders only. Some species will alwas jump on crickets, while others (mainly my nocturnal burrowers) only feed at night, after the deed has already been done.

Bill

 

[D-Man]

I got the tip of burning the ovipositor on this forum and tried it - it works! I saw the cric trying like mad to lay eggs and them, BAM! My T stopped on the vile slime. I use a little coleman torch for BBQ's. It works like a charm.

Dario

 

[RugbyDave]

sweet

I know we had a thread about this a bit ago...
burning's what i use and advise.

it seems to work, but i'm sure someone's got a story about it not working..

but it seems to be the best so far.
peace
dave

 

[nocturnalpulsem]

I tried it on 1 a little while ago. When I went to check on it I found it dead. It burst from pushing too hard. Isn't that how Elvis died, too?

I guess it's a quick fix, but they don't appear to last long that way. Especially if they're hell bent on reproduction.

N.

 

[sunnymarcie]

I try to get younger crickets, they get eaten before they are mature enough. (most of the time)
When they are older I only feed them to my T's that eat good.
Of the 10 T's I have, 7 of them eat right from the tweezers.
No worries there. The other 3 T's live in pretty dry conditions.
So far I have not had any pin head problems because the tanks
are really dry. (Crickets need a moist environment for their eggs)

 

[RugbyDave]

Wow, i've never had a cricket bite it from the ovipositor being burned.. even the big ones

nothings 100% perfect, but burning seems to work the best for me!

And i too, sometimes feed right from the hand... if its a really gravid cricket, i'll just hand feed it.. but not always... so....

peace
dave

 

[nocturnalpulsem]

I think what happened was it kept trying to lay even though it was sealed. Like I said, it burst, and it did so in a couple of places. It poped its ovipositor and its abdomen. Icky lookin goo, too, I might add.

N.

 

[Code Monkey]

My question: why is anyone keeping a T's tank so constantly moist and warm that pinheads are hatching out? In 20 years of keeping Ts I've had pinheads hatch *once*.

Most problems people have keeping Ts are of their own creation in my experience.

 

[nocturnalpulsem]

Actually, i only keep the tank for my burrower moist and I only do that for burrowing's sake. However, the problem being that the T I'm referring to is the only one eating, and therein lies the problem. If my B. smithi were eating, it wouldn't be a problem because the substrate is ***bone dry*** As a matter of fact, I give her the gelatinous cricket water stuff (because she's the only one who does throw dirt in her water dish), so humidity is pretty much the same as the room is.

I really like the stuff, actually, but I'l save that for a different thread ;P

N.