DIY automatic watering for feeder crickets

[50centipede]

I've been using it for a while and it's pretty handy

 

[heiwut819]

Interesting, it should work for other feeders too.

 

[jc55]

It is a great idea and stops crickets from drowning in a water dish.

 

[additude]

Great idea. What did you use for the "Wick" ? Nylon cord?

 

[darkness975]

I've been using it for a while and it's pretty handy

Great idea. It seems it's hard for them to get up there though.

 

[additude]

Well, they just need a "Cricket Ladder"....

 

[50centipede]

Great idea. What did you use for the "Wick" ? Nylon cord?

It's a polypropylene rope used for camping and stuff

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

genius

 

[The Snark]

Nylon cord?

polypropylene

Cotton wicks faster and the fibers absorb and tend to retain water. Down side is it harbors mold much more easily.
Commercial insect breeders just drop damp rags in the enclosures. Re-wetted or exchanged at regular intervals.

 

[additude]

Cotton wicks faster and the fibers absorb and tend to retain water. Down side is it harbors mold much more easily.
Commercial insect breeders just drop damp rags in the enclosures. Re-wetted or exchanged at regular intervals.

Yeah, if it gets tended to daily, as part of a job's daily routines, it kind of ends up being like sweeping the floor.
But as a hobbyist, that's a chore. Need something like doing the wash, not sweep the floor...

Parachute cord should be good enough, anything organic will decay and mold. The top of the container needs to be a lower profile so it's easier for crickets to climb up on.
Overall, remarkably a great concept.

 

[The Snark]

The containments used commercially are huge bins with strong synthetic mesh netting sides and a bare floor usually made of wood lined with a plastic material for ease of cleaning. The uppermost 6 inches or so of the sides is slick plastic that is unclimbable. The bins are usually less than 3 feet deep so a person can reach to the bottom. Lids of any material again covered in slick plastic are used for critters able to fly. A few sharp taps dislodge the animals clinging to the ceiling.
When they go to sell the bugs the entire bin is loaded into the backs of trucks. I'll try to make a point of visiting those markets some time and take photos.