Diseases and how to be careful with your cricket farm

One of the main concerns during the production process of products made from insects is the outbreak of viral diseases.

Cricket farming slowly but steadily is gaining more supporters, while businesses have started to look into industrial production already. Despite that the practice of eating insects is not new, the production technology is still innovative, which means that there are still things to be learned.

When you have a lot of animals in close proximity, it is crucial to be able to prevent, isolate or cure diseases, otherwise they can have devastating effects. The more insects you have, the higher the chance of them catching a disease.

Crickets in particular are susceptible to virus, bacterial and fungal diseases.

Most commonly crickets are infected by Parvoviridae viruses, which cause slow growth, reduce weight and eventually death in the animal. Infection can become so severe, that it can cause 100% mortality in the population. For prevention scientist recommend overall sanitation, breeding of individuals that are resistant to the virus or rearing species that are not susceptible to it.

Little is known about all possible pathogens that can affect the animals, which is why every cricket farmer should monitor all new research that is being conducted on the topic. Every cricket farmer should also know how to follow strictly standard sanitation protocols until more specialized are made.

What also can be done to ensure the high survival rates of the crickets is to avoid creating crowded spaces. When too many individuals are put in the same enclosures, they tend to become cannibalistic, which can affect the production and it is not good for the animals. Other recommendations includes strict monitoring of temperature during the incubation period, otherwise the eggs will not hatch.

So to summarize:

  • Always sanitize your farm, enclosures and yourself;
  • Keep up with all new research on the topic of farming and best agricultural practices;
  • Do not let spaces to become crowded;
  • Monitor to ensure success.

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