Cricket Farming – A Profitable Business

Introduction to Cricket Farming:

Cricket Farming is nothing but raising of Crickets. Crickets are the insects that are very proteinaceous to the human body. It is an insect farming business. Rearing of crickets is profitable nowadays as they contain a high amount of proteins and tasty also. It is good to start small scale cricket farming first which we can expand it into large scale later.

Taxonomy of Crickets

Kingdom:   Animalia.

Phylum:   Euarthropoda.

Class:    Insecta.

Order:   Orthoptera.

Suborder:   Ensifera.

Family:  Gryllidae.

Genus:  Acheta.

Species:  A. domesticus.

How to Start Cricket Farming

It is easy to start a Cricket Farming business. Few steps lead to the profitable establishment of Cricket Farming. However, many of us are unaware of the proper Cricket Farming guide. Here, you will know all the information about Cricket Farming in India.

Cricket Bins or Cricket keepers

Cricket bins are nothing but the home of Cricket insects. Select or collect 50 to 60liter bin. The bin should be in such a way that indentions surface with good height. Good height helps in keeping the insects away from their escape. However, the bins are provided with short holes which helps in easy ventilation for the Cricket Insects.  Maintain a temperature range between 28° to 30° Celsius in the cricket bins. In addition, you can also use cricket keepers that are available online at Those cricket keepers are usefulfor domestic rearing of crickets at home. Furthermore, one can also make or construct a cricket keeper using cardboard.

Read: Tiger Prawn Cultivation.

Buying or collection of Crickets

It is easy to collect crickets. However, it is easy to collect them in the night. There also exist some cricket varieties that suits well for Cricket Farming business. In a 50 liter bin, one can rear around 400 to 450 insects. Although there exist various species of Cricket insects, domestic house cricket may be good for Cricket farming business. Achetadomesticusis the house cricket.

Feeding of Crickets

Now the crickets and its bins or cricket homes are ready. But, we require good food to feed crickets. Cricket feed plays an important role in Cricket farming business. If you go for Cricket farming business for human consumption, then it is better to consider good food for crickets. Crickets feed on tiny insects, cucumbers and other small plants. Feed the crickets at regular intervals of time. Figure out the good feed for crickets in your area. Cricket feed is also available online.

Multiplication of Crickets

Crickets do multiply or undergo breeding during nights as they are nocturnal in habitat. Crickets do multiply in moist soils mostly. Therefore, it is good to place a tray filled with moist soil inside the Cricket bin. It acts as a good breeding area for those Crickets. In addition, maintain proper temperature conditions within the Cricket bins. Later, remove the tray with moist soil and prepare for the next step.

Incubation of Cricket eggs

Incubation plays a major role in Cricket Farming business. After breeding of Insects, the Crickets lays eggs which are to be further incubated in Cricket Incubators. Maintain warm condition and 90% humidity within the incubation chamber. Place the tray with moist soil containing Cricket eggs under the heating lamp that keep the tray warmth and helps in easy incubation of Cricket eggs. This step ofinsect incubation takes around one week or around 5 to 7days. They remain to incubated for a week in warm temperature conditions. Egg stage followed by the nymph stage also called as babies in cricket farming.

Raising of Nymphs

The lifecycle ofCrickets involves four stages viz., mating, egg, nymph, and adult. After, incubation, the eggs will lead to the formation of nymphs. Nymphs looklike small adult Cricket insect. Those nymphs will reach the adult stage in a period of 3 to 4 weeks. Further, they will remainin the incubation chamber for a period of onemonth and further added back to the adult cycle. It takes around 5 to 6 weeks to complete the life cycle of a cricket.

Adding back to the Cricket bins

After completion of the nymph stage, they are added back to the Cricket bins in order to raise them. Then, after a fewweeks, they will be ready for mating and the cycle goes on continuing.

Maintainance of Odour in Cricket Farming

Crickets do produce different odor which is unpleasant. However, such type of an unpleasant order can be overcome following some techniques like timely cleaning of containers, avoiding the reuse of the substrate, keeping their home dry or with minimum moisture etc.

Harvesting of Crickets in Cricket Farming

Crickets attain their actual body weight in a period of 6 to 7 weeks. At that adult stage, they are transferred into a freezer. In that freezer, they go into a state of hibernation where they never wake up. 

Why Cricket Farming Business

Raising crickets for chickens

Crickets are the rich source of proteins. As we supplythe feed for chickens that are rich in proteins, we can go for crickets instead. Feeding Chickens with Crickets incurs less cost with good productivity as they rich protein source.

Cricket farm for Reptiles

Some people rear reptiles at their home or commercialpurposes. Replies find Crickets as tasty and proteinaceous. RaisingCrickets for reptiles might be profitable and beneficial.

Cricket Farming for Cattle

Feeding the Cattle with crickets increase the body weight and milk yield of the cattle. We can feed the crickets in powder form to the cattle. TheCrickets are ground and powdered and further fed to the cattle.

Cricket Farming for Business or food for Humans

Crickets are more efficient in turning their feed into proteins. They are a rich source of proteins for humans than fish and other meats. As they are highly proteinaceous, Crickets are costly and expensive. However, the Cricket farming business is in its infancy stage. Manystartup companies are looking towards thisCricket faring enterprises. Many companies are selling Cricket protein powders made from Crickets might be a profitable business. There are some bakeries serving bread made from crickets and other recipes made from Crickets. In addition, there are also some cricket floor companies.

Crickets as Food source

• Eating insects are good for us as well as for the environment too as it emits fewer greenhouse gases than any other farming units like cattle or poultry farming.
• Crickets are rich in proteins.
• Some bakeries also developed bread made from dried crickets powder.
• Bread made from cricket powder is nutritious for human consumption.
• According to Fazer bakeries, Crickets are a good source of fatty acids, calcium, iron, and Vitamins like B12.
• Crickets contain proteins 2X than beef, iron 4X than Spinach and Vitamin B12 more than Salmon.
• They also contain Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids help in reducing the risk to heart diseases and also favors in promoting healthy skin. Whereas Omega 6 fatty acids are the good source of energy for the human body.
• Live Crickets contain 21% protein, 69% water, 3% fiber and 6% fat.
• Dried Crickets contain 9% water, 3%fiber, 5%fat, and 50%Protein.
• Crickets are eaten baked or grilled.
• We can also eat them as fry, boiled and dried.
• In addition, they can also be eaten raw or sprinkling on salads.
• Thus, they may act as a good and profitable edible insect business.
• There are chapul bars or protein bars that are made from the floor of crickets.
• In addition, crickets and its powder and pellets are also used as a feed for cattle and poultry birds.

How do Cricket insects taste like

Eating of insects for food is known as entomophagy. When we come to the tastiness of Crickets, it depends on the recipe. Raw insects may taste like fish. However, recipes made from powdered crickets taste similar to the potato chips. When you go for adding them in small amounts in any other recipes, it doesn’t taste at all.

The Scope of Cricket farming in India

India is a country with a dense population. In order to feed the whole country, there is a high necessity for an increase in the production of food to meet the requirement of the entire country. However, the produced food must be nutritious and proteinaceous. Farming cricket may meet these needs. As we compare with other farming like cattle and poultry farming, Cricket farming requires less number of resources like water, land space and manpower. The conversion efficiency of these insects is much higher than any other cattle or poultry birds. The demand for protein exploding is also increasing in the country in the recent past. This Cricket farming business or enterprise may play a key role in food security. However, most of the people in the country are unaware of this booming Cricket farming business. Crickets as directly or indirectly may act as a good food source. Insects either in powder form or whole are in commercial activity in western countries. 

The conclusion of Cricket Farming:

Crickets are abundant in protein source that may help in meeting food security. If you have an idea of starting a booming enterprise, Cricket Farming may meet your ideas.

Read: Spirulina Farming.