New Crickets Are Here!

10/30/2012
Banded Crickets Now Available in ALL SIZES!

I think all herpers would agree that over the last couple of years the feeder insect industry has been in a state of constant turmoil, but things seem to be settling down now (THANK GOODNESS!).

During this time, Ghann's Cricket Farm has faced some significant challenges. We changed from the House Cricket (Acheta domesticus) to the Jamaican Field Cricket (Gryllus assimilis), and encountered some unforeseen problems.  Increasing production of the Jamaican Cricket to commercial levels proved to be more difficult than expected, which meant we had to continue to outsource crickets to meet demand. Outsourced crickets were sometimes inconsistently sized, and occasionally did not live as well as customers expected.

Therefore, we discontinued production of the Jamaican Cricket in favor of the Banded Cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus), which is similar to the Acheta domesticus and has been a popular cricket in Europe and the UK for over a decade.

We are no longer outsourcing, and are now producing
abundant supplies of the Banded Cricket!

Response to the new Banded Cricket has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Banded Cricket has a number of strengths:

• Hearty - lives well
• Very active - provides lively feeding experience for animals
• Very digestible even at its largest size (short wings, soft exoskeleton, less chitin)
• Minimal noise - only adults chirp, short wings make minimal noise
• Less odor vs. other species (reported by some customers)
• Not aggressive towards animals or humans

There have been many stories going around over the last couple years about the various crickets that have popped up in the US herp market.  The chart below should help clear things up.

As always, we here at Ghann's Cricket Farm appreciate your patronage.  We will continue to do all we can to provide quality products, at fair prices, backed by great customer service, to all those who favor us with their business.

--
Regards,

Clay Ghann
President/CEO
Ghann's Cricket Farm, Inc.

House Cricket Acheta domesticus	Banded Cricket (aka Tropical House Cricket) Gryllodes sigillatus	Jamaican Field Cricket Gryllus assimilis	Black Field Cricket Gryllus bimaculatus	Crazy Red Gryllus locorojo
PRO’S • Not aggressive towards animals or humans • Adults less digestible vs. smaller sizes (more chitin) • Relatively noisy (adults sing actively) CON’S • Very susceptible to AdDNV cricket virus • Not extremely hearty (shorter shelf life)	PRO’S • Not aggressive towards animals or humans • All sizes very digestible (less chitin) • More active, lively feeding experience for animals • Resistant to AdDNV cricket virus • Hearty, lives well (longer than Acheta) • Less odor vs. other crickets • Less noise vs other crickets CON’S • Adults not quite as large as adults of other species	PRO’S • Large adults • Resistant to AdDNV cricket virus CON’S • Slightly aggressive towards animals and humans • Noisy - loud, deep chirp	PRO’S • ???? CON’S • ILLEGAL in the USA (per USDA) • Quite aggressive towards animals and humans (some reports of animals being harmed) • Noisy (adults sing loudly) • More odor vs. other crickets	PRO’S • ???? CON’S • ILLEGAL to distribute throughout the USA (per USDA) • Quite aggressive towards animals and humans (some reports of animals being harmed)

Nutritional Value of Popular Feeder Insects
	Banded Crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus)	Mealworms	Superworms	Phoenix Worms
Protein %	15.77	19.7	22.28	17.3
Moisture %	71.66	66.07	59.67	N/A*
Fat %	8.47	9.79	17.1	9.4
Fiber %	2.21	2.6	2.1	N/A*
Ash %	1.19	1.55	1.15	N/A*
Vitamin D3 (IU/100g)	N/A*	276	171	N/A*
Calcium ppm	N/A*	133	124	8155
Phosphorous ppm	N/A*	3345	2320	5355
Cal/Phos Ratio	0.24	0.04	0.05	1.52

* Information not available.