Acheta Domesticus Life Cycle
Acheta domesticus are house crickets. They are raised in many areas for uses such as fishing bait and food for pets, but in North America are found in the wild only in the eastern United States (except peninsular Florida), southeastern areas of Canada, and southern California, according to Bug Guide. These insects are most likely native to southwestern Asia. House crickets need warmth to survive. They can be found indoors all year round, or they may live around buildings during the warm parts of the year, then hide out indoors during the colder months in the more northerly states and Canada.
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Young Crickets
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When crickets are young they do not have wings, although they otherwise look like smaller versions of adult house crickets, according to Bug Guide. Their life progresses by way of gradual metamorphosis, according to Ask the Exterminator. They hatch looking like small wingless adults and progress to adulthood by shedding their skin, each time growing larger and eventually growing wings.
Adult Crickets
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Crickets gain wings when they become adults, although they sometimes may shed them later. Typically, adult house crickets have two sets of wings, but only use the back set to fly, according to Ask the Exterminator.
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Lifespan
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Crickets finish their life cycle in two to three months. They need the temperature to be 80 to 90 degrees F to complete their life cycle, although house crickets can survive the colder winters of the northern U.S. and Canada by staying close to or in buildings where there is heat to keep them going, according to the University of Florida.
Breeding and Nesting
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House crickets can be bred in captivity, and often are raised as food for pets such as lizards and small snakes. A female house cricket can lay up to 100 eggs during her lifetime, according to Ask the Exterminator. There is no specific breeding season for crickets. Eggs are laid individually, not in packs. They can be found outdoors in places with moist soil. According to Ask the Exterminator, crickets rarely lay their eggs indoors. Once the female lays an egg it takes two weeks for it to hatch.
Predators
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A house cricket's life can be cut short by predation. Crickets tend to sing and chirp, making it easy for prey such as cats and geckos to locate them. In the wild, herons also track crickets by sound. While a cricket becomes quiet when approached, this is often too late to save it. Crickets also face shorter lives when they are trapped by humans and used as bait or food.
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References
- Photo Credit cricket image by Eric Isselée from Fotolia.com
