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Photo#221219
Singing male Pine Tree Cricket - Oecanthus pini - male

Singing male Pine Tree Cricket - Oecanthus pini - Male
Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin, USA
Size: ~17mm
This male was collected in Racine. He has been singing every evening for 2 weeks. This shot was taken with a handheld camera, handheld flashlight and through glass, hence not perfectly clear, but does show the wings quite well.

Not perfect??
This is exquisite! Nice job, Nancy!

 
captivity?
You raised some of these? Were they contained? What did you feed them?

 
Yes,
I used to have great success. They are very hardy. Unlike katydids or grasshoppers, as long as they have sufficient fresh vegetation (types they are found on or seen nibbling on) -- they are quite content. I would keep a few sprigs of vegetation and a flower or two in a smaller container of water. Put enough stems in to avoid an open area of water....young ones can fall in and drown. I would sprinkle a bit of commercial cricket powder (in pet stores for folks to feed crickets they raise for feeding to lizards) -- I would sprinkle some on the leaves in their container. They need a top that fits snug so they can't squeeze out, but allows in air (I used sheer fabric in an embroidery hoop.) A bit of natural light is good, but not so much that they cook. I would spritz water on the leaves three times a day.

Lately I have had trouble with them dying. I believe it was because of the type of soap I was using to clean the oversized glass vases I kept them in. don't use Meyer's Soap or Dawn dishsoap.

 
very interesting!
I love your passion! I wish you success - maybe just distilled water and no soap at all?
How did you acquire your first pair?
Will they mate in captivity?
Will they sing in captivity? (I guess they don't need to if they already have a mate?)
Do females sing? How does a male find a female, or does she fly toward his song?
I would think that these guys are hard to find. I've only had one in my yard that I'm aware of, even though I can hear them singing in the distance.

 
yes, they do mate in captivity
Forbes' tree crickets are quite abundant where I live, so it was easy to find them. They love goldenrod. The eggs in northern states need to spend a winter outdoors. You can find more info here: www.oecanthinae.Com

Females do not sing.

 
Thanks, Eric
I was surprised to see the solid areas of green on his wings.

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