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Caring for and Raising Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae): Some General Tips

On the Grasshopper and Cricket
by John Keats


The Poetry of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead
In summer luxury,—he has never done
With his delights; for when tired out with fun
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
On a lone winter evening, when the frost
Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.



Hesperotettix viridis and Mermiria bivittata, raised to adult and released:



First, let me say that grasshoppers are definitely not my speciality and I know very little about them, but I do have a bit of experience in caring for them. My grasshopper rearing has been purely incidental, as I am generally out looking for specific bugs or beetles or such and then "accidentally" come home with cute little grasshopper nymphs to raise. I have raised numerous species from nymph to adult and a handful of species from egg to adult, so this discussion will be limited to some very basic tips for rearing.

There are many species of grasshoppers that are exceedingly easy to raise. For an interested young child in school or even an ancient old lady like myself who might be completely new to rearing, I would recommend grasshoppers as a good starting point for rearing wild insects.

Whereas katydids tend to be cryptic in so many of their activities, grasshoppers are not the least bit shy, allowing you to observe their growing up, eating, moulting, mating, laying eggs, and all the wonderful things that grasshoppers do.

Most of the grasshoppers I have raised were Melanoplinae, Oedipodinae, Gomphocerinae, and Cyrtacanthacridinae. These grasshoppers generally do quite well in captivity.

This short discussion of general tips for rearing grasshoppers includes the following sections: 1) Collecting, 2) Housing and Care, 3) Eggs, 4) Moulting, and 5) Mating.


Collecting

In my area, grasshoppers of various species are abundant in good habitats. Even through winter on milder days I can generally find grasshoppers. The best time to collect in my area is in spring when the wildflowers are in full bloom throughout grassy meadows.

Because I only collect insects that I intend to rear, I am exceedingly careful in collecting and would much prefer to miss the insect altogether than to cause harm. I carry bags with collection containers of different sizes and I add vegetation to the containers for transporting the creatures.



For grasshoppers, I either cup my hands around them, use a container to close in on them, or use a small kid-sized net. I prefer to avoid nets, however, because grasshoppers' legs can get caught in the mesh.



Housing and Care

CAGES

For most species of grasshoppers, I use large mesh butterfly cages, and for a few species, such as pygmy grasshoppers, I have used aquaria. Inside the cages, I add a variety of plants, including grasses and native plants and vegetable plants. Grasshoppers can consume quite a bit of vegetation, so it's good to be prepared with an abundance of their favourite plants. Where I am, in addition to grasses and vegetable plants, I generally provide Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii), Chromolaena odorata, lantana, small trees started in pots, and more.

sample cages for grasshoppers:


Melanoplus differentialis on Malvaviscus arboreus:


Mermiria bivittata nymph on lantana:


Schistocerca lineata final-instar nymph:


I use small containers for saucers under the four-inch potted plants, but I am careful to make sure there is no standing water because nymphs can easily drown in standing water. After I water the plants, I change out the saucers for dry ones.

One plant that I include for my grasshoppers (and certain katydids, such as Neoconocephalus triops) is corn that I start in four-inch pots. Simply place 3 or 4 corn seeds about one inch deep in 4-inch pots with potting soil. Water daily and keep on heated seedling mats under grow lights (or outside in sunlight in warm conditions). When the plants are over 6 to 8 inches tall, I generally move them to cages and I keep a continuous supply going since they are eaten quickly by my creatures.

corn starts:


In each cage, I include dishes of soil substrate for my grasshoppers to lay eggs in (in addition to the soil in their potted plants). My grasshoppers usually choose the dishes of loose soil for laying eggs.

My rearing cages are set up under full spectrum LED lights which are on for eight hours a day, and the room also gets plenty of natural lighting from the windows.



To clean cages, I recommend having a second cage set up with clean newspaper in the bottom. I pull the current cage gently out of its place and put the new clean cage where the current cage has been. I then carefully move each plant (often with passengers) to the new cage and add fresh food. Then I catch each individual remaining in the old cage to transfer to the new clean cage. I carefully remove each item from the old cage, ending with the newspaper at the bottom of the cage. You may have folks hiding under or between layers of the newspaper, so remove one layer at a time and check carefully for creatures.



FOOD

Fortunately, most of the grasshoppers I have raised will eat a large variety of plants and supplemental foods, so they have been easy to feed. Mine especially enjoy organic romaine lettuce and rolled oats. In addition, I provide apple, potato, sweet potato, carrot, and corn, as well as nuts, cricket powder, fish flakes, butterfly sponges (nectar sponges), and fresh water.

Melanoplus differentialis munching oat:


Melanoplus ponderosus munching oat:


Tettigidea species munching oat:


Hesperotettix viridis munching apple:


Melanoplus ponderosus munching apple:


Schistocerca lineata nymph munching apple:


Hesperotettix viridis on butterfly sponge:


Schistocerca obscura adult female munching on lettuce:


Syrbula admirabilis munching on lettuce:



Lots of Munching VIDEOS (for folks who watch cats on YouTube or bugs on BugGuide …)

VIDEO of Melanoplus differentialis eating oats.

more VIDEO of Melanoplus differentialis eating oats.

close-up VIDEO of Melanoplus differentialis eating oats.

VIDEO of Melanoplus baby eating oats.

VIDEO of Melanoplus nymph eating lettuce.

VIDEO of Melanoplus adult eating lettuce.

VIDEO of one-day-old Encoptolophus costalis on butterfly sponge.

VIDEO of Hesperotettix viridis on butterfly sponge.

VIDEO of Mermiria bivittata eating lettuce.

VIDEO of male Melanoplus ponderosus munching apple.


Schistocerca obscura VIDEOS:

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce close-up.

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce closer-upper.

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce.

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce.

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce with Leptoglossus phyllopus friend.

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce close-up.

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce.

cute VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce.

VIDEO of male Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce.

more cute VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce.

VIDEO of Schistocerca obscura munching lettuce.



Eggs


To rear from eggs, you will need to be prepared to keep the soil substrate and potted plants in which the eggs were laid in a protected place through winter. In some cases, I find eggs in weird places, so I move them to the dishes of soil substrate that I use inside my grasshopper cages. Through the winter months I use a fine mist spray on the soil and plants every other day.

Aidemona azteca eggs:


Schistocerca obscura laying eggs in soil of potted plant and VIDEO:


Hesperotettix speciosus laying eggs in provided substrate dishes (sand/soil mixtures):


Encoptolophus costalis is one of the species that I have raised from egg to adult. The eggs, laid in the soil of potted plants, began hatching in early April.

newly hatched Encoptolophus costalis


two-day-old Encoptolophus costalis nymph:


Keep the soil substrate dishes and plants in which eggs were laid inside enclosed cages through winter, and in spring, check daily for hatching nymphs. As soon as new nymphs begin to hatch, add supplemental food for nymphs: rolled oats, organic romaine lettuce and apple, and nectar and water sponges.
CAUTION: Nectar sponges and water sponges must never contain extra liquid, but rather the liquid should be soaked into the sponges. This is to ensure that tiny nymphs do not drown. You can use a very small amount of fine mist spray on the plants (but not directly onto nymphs) for additional moisture, but all standing water, including any droplets on lettuce, must be avoided. The tiny nymphs are very delicate and need to be kept safe.


Moulting

My grasshoppers in captivity are less likely to eat their exuviae than are most of the other insects that I raise. Because of this, I was able to photograph quite a collection of exuviae. Grasshoppers probably moult with a bit more ease than do my katydids, but still the moulting period remains a vulnerable time for the insects. It's important to provide grasshoppers with plenty of room in large cages and to avoid overcrowding to ensure their safe development and comfort.

moulting series of Chortophaga viridifasciata:


moulting series of Mermira bivittata to adult:




Schistocerca lineata handraised to adult and released, and exuvia:


Encoptolophus costalis nymph after moulting:




Mating

Grasshoppers, unlike katydids, have no problem with the Bugarazzi photographing their more intimate moments. Because they appear to mate more frequently and for longer periods than do their Ensifera cousins, they are easily observed in copula.

Mermiria bivittata mating:


VIDEO of Mermiria bivittata failed mating attempt.


Dichromorpha viridis mating:


Hesperotettix speciosus mating:


Schistocerca obscura mating:



Phaedrotettix dumicola mating:




Overall, grasshoppers are easy to raise and a joy to observe. As long as they are provided with extra large cages filled with plants and plenty of food, they seem to be quite content in captivity. Only rarely did I have one hop out of the cage and that was usually when I was cleaning the cage by changing out the plants and newspaper. I keep special containers by each cage to catch any escapees who might hop or fly out.

As I mentioned, I am no expert by any means, but if I can help anyone with additional information, please reach out. The only species that I intentionally set out to raise was Schistocerca obscura. All the others just showed up and said "Raise me!" and so I did. I sometimes had other creatures (true bugs and beetles) inside the grasshopper cages and everybody played nicely together. It was a joy to have some diurnal creatures to complement my larger assortment of nocturnal creatures that I rear, and grasshoppers are among the easiest to raise.




.

I really should get an angle-
I really should get an angle-wing guide written up, did another rearing this year and got some great pictures. And I guess I did something right, because some of mine were bigger than wild adults, which was surprising.

I may not be an expert on gr
I may not be an expert on grasshoppers, but I've had some accidental adventures raising these cool critters. If you're looking to dive into grasshopper rearing, they can be a great starting point for beginners of all ages. They're not shy at all, so you can witness their whole life cycle, from growing up to munching on plants, mating, and laying eggs. Just make sure you've got spacious cages filled with their favorite plants and plenty of grub, and you'll have a blast observing these hopping wonders.

Interesting
You have some very informative guides. Your work is much appreciated!

 
Thank you!
Thank you, Shannon, for your kind words. This means a lot to me because I never know if my posts are actually read by anyone.
I have a *lot* more articles coming later this year, but it takes some time to get each one written up. I am extremely grateful to hear that you found my articles helpful. :)

 
:)
You are very welcome. I look forward to seeing what you post in the future. Again thank you!

Shannon

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