Acrididae 287 



and allowed to dry. This food will keep indefinitely. About 1 square 

 inch every three days, or oftener in damp weather, will feed several 

 crickets. I have kept cultures going on this food for over a year. I 

 have not experimented to find out whether the sugar and milk are 

 necessary. The crickets will eat dry rolled oats readily. 



Burrowing crickets such as Anurogryllus and mole crickets may be 

 reared in jars supplied with several inches of sand. If observations are 

 to be made on the underground habits a special type of cage is necessary. 

 For this I have confined the sand between two vertical pieces of glass, 

 separated by not more than the width of a normal burrow. The food 

 and water may be introduced by having the top of the frame removable. 

 Burrowing crickets that forage above ground need a small attached cage 

 at the top. They may also be kept in a cylindrical jar containing a 

 shorter and narrower jar or tin. The space between the two should be 

 only the width of a burrow and filled with sand. This type, or the glass 

 plate cage, should have an outer removable cover to keep the burrows 

 dark except when under observation. 



Tree crickets and bush crickets need a screen or cloth-sided, partly 

 glassed, cage supplied with potted plants or cut plants in water. The 

 plants should be sprinkled with water every day. A known host plant 

 should be used if possible. Most adult crickets may be kept alive a 

 long time by placing a few drops of sugar water or pieces of sweet fruits 

 on the foliage. For life history work it is necessary to have the proper 

 kind of plant material for oviposition, for many species are inclined to 

 be exacting in their requirements. If these are not known it is best to 

 supply at the same time a variety of kinds and sizes of plant stems. 



Reference 

 For the feeding of crickets see also p. 242. 



Family acrididae 



CULTURE METHODS FOR GRASSHOPPERS 



E. Eleanor Carothers, State University of Iowa 



WITH foresight and a little equipment, these insects may be used 

 as a convenient source of live material which a laboratory may 

 have on hand in any desired stage at all times. The rearing of hardy 

 species, like many other things, is simple if one knows how, but faulty 

 methods may result in the loss of a stock in the midst of an experiment. 

 Aside from studies growing out of economic problems and the recognized 

 value of short-horned grasshoppers as cytological material, they are well 

 adapted for physiological, embryological, and genetical studies. 



