I really do have to start this one out with the obligatory "Y'all ain't gonna believe this $*!t, BUT...."
Apologies in advance for the rambling nature of the post.

So my brother decided to order us up 500 3/4" and 500 1" crickets for our upcoming trip to Fairfield next weekend. He spent the better part of an evening constructing a cricket cage using the standard fiberglass screen material that is popular at the Lowes, Home Depot, etc. for your DIY home window and door screens. This choice of screen material was of course at my suggestion.

Things started off on the wrong leg and got fairly rodeo when the UPS guy showed up with the second day order of crickets already leaking from some opening in the shipping box. Likely a trail of crickets stretching from Fluker Farms to Big Spring TX I expect. It was decided that out of the 1,000 shipped though, there was still way plenty enough left for 3 days of fishing and not near worth the hassle of filing a claim with UPS.

Then, the next major event was when them crickets was going ape-@#&T and didn't want to behave during the transfer from from shipping container to their new spacious cricket condo complete with well ventilated fiberglass screen sides. Only had 50 or so escape that time.

And now for the completely unbelievable report that the 1 inchers got bored today while everyone was gone to work and school and decided to exercise their incisors by chewing not one but two holes right through that screen. So by afternoon, there was an estimated 300+ or so 1" crickets playing hide and seek throughout his house. He did say his lovely bride took it all in stride but I do have to tell y'all she is quite a rare gem when it comes to putting up with his stuff like this - I give her high marks for that - however he pulled it off. Anyway, he promptly put both his kids to working on cricket round up duty which reminds me of that commercial about herding cats, and as of around 11 pm tonight, they had recovered an estimated 90% of the errant little escape artists and put them back in their new home. So, Who, in their wildest of dreams, would have ever thunk it!??

He said everyone down at the DoIt center was having a great laugh about that description and the lady there assured him that what he really needed was the extra strength fiberglass pet-proof screen that would be absolutely good to go for this application. I told him he should have told her it wasn't pets we was worrying about but a bunch of Hannibal Lecter wannabe crickets with some 3X sharp chompers.
I guess in the morning we'll know if pet-proof screen is really up to the task, and have strategically planned all this so we still have time to make another order if that becomes an absolute necessity.

Boy I sure hope we catch a bunch of monster bluegills after all this, but I bet we have a good time regardless. I managed to get a very rare official whole day off Friday to make it a 3 day weekend and I flat just can't wait.

So don't anyone make the mistake of using that regular strength fiberglass screen for your cricket cages. If they made some out of tungsten carbide and coated with ceramic or krypton or something, I'd suggest using that. LMAO....Jon

great story.... I had to explaing the cricket containers to my son the other day.....he wanted to put minnows in there

Man, Jon, isn't this fishing thing great? What we go thru sometimes.

Reminds me of a time awhile back. We were out and about working in my home town (Pensacola) one day and noticed that the oak worms (great bream bait) were plentiful on the small oaks where we were. So, naturally, I decided that I would put a bunch in a corrugated container that I had and seal it with tape after I made some air holes.

Took the 300 plus worm box home real quick and put it on the dining room table and went back to work, thinking I would take care of them when I got home after work. BTW: the wife was not at home when I did all this.

Well, the little buggers found a way out and I got a call from the little lady reading me the riot act about why were her table and chairs alive with caterpillars. When I got home later I found the box, 2 chairs and the rest of the caterpillars on the patio out back and an irate wife inside.

Never did that again.

Have a great trip, Jon. Catch a bunch. Keep us posted.

Lol, nice. I use nothing but aluminum screen, as they can bite through anything else IME.

The transfer DEFINITELY takes practice and a knack. Took my about four shipments to get it down right. I was a pro by the 20th or so box of two thousand

Mason, I can see there is a learning curve for sure - all I can say is I hope to benefit from my brother's learning curve. LOL

You seem to know a lot about this so here's a couple questions for you: He lives 360 miles away and is going to donate this fine cricket condo to me with whatever we have left after this weekend for me to bring home to Forney. Only thing is - I live in an apartment. Just me and occasionally my daughter, but no darling wife to object much about what I do like keeping crickets in the living room. If I keep this cricket condo in my apartment till the fish fry in June, is it likely to get very ripe between now and then? I don't know if this batch will still be alive by then, but can order some more off the net between now and then. I use them at Ray Hubbard as well and can probably use these up and order some more before the fish fry. Any tips for keeping the smell down if there is going to be any? I learned last year not to spill a bunch of water in the bottom and let them marinate into that lovely cricket goo concotion they turn into. That did get very aromatic. Just wondering how this apartment life with the cricket condo is liable to turn out - if you have any tips. Thanks,...jon

Oh, btw that current batch out in west texas is going to be residing in his garage until we figure out if that double throwdown pet-proof screen is going to prove to be cricket resistant or not. LOL He's feeding them the orange cubes which is supposed to be food and water all in one. Do you think we need to rig up something for them to get extra water? I know they seem to be about 95% water by volume, and would think they're going to need to be drinking some. Just need to fix up so it wouldn't be likely to spill a bunch. I look forward to meeting you in June - bet we eat good no matter what else.

Bert, I'll report in after we get back and let you know how much different the results are between the spots we hit on last full moon and the current moon phase. That should be interesting. If it's only half as good it will still be great. If I can just keep the dang trailer wheels from dropping off the ramp and locking up the works I'll be pretty happy. I been to the chiropracter 4 times since that little episode and don't even want no more of that action.

Thanks, Jon. I look forward to hearing about your trip. I'll be going down on the 15th & 16th and then head to CC for the crappie tournament. I'll let you know how I do also.

I don't look forward to launching either but maybe I can manage it alone. I'm hoping they got some more water the other day with the rains that went thru there.

Keep me posted on the crickets as I still would like some for the June meet.

If you don't pick out any dead crickets, yeah it will get pretty nasty (cricket goo, like you said). They won't live long enough to last until the fish fry so you would probably have to order a batch just before it, as they only live for about a week or two after they are bait sized.

Picking out dead crickets and uneaten food helps the smell a lot.

Those orange cubes should be all they need from what I have heard. I fed mine carrot and grains, but they released that fancy cricket water/diet combo just after I switched to feeding my animals tropical roaches so I have never used it.

Thanks Mason. Like most projects, this one has turned into way more then we ever expected but hopefully we can get enough useage down the road out of this cage to make it worth fooling with. Heckuva lot easier just to pick them up for a nickel a piece down at Fisherman's supply and just get what you need for a weekend LOL. Course, lots of people might not have fast access to a good baitshop like that. Thanks for all the cricket info.

I had a bag of crickets in my basement to feed my fish in my tank, and a day later I got back to find that they had eaten their way out. I also found that some of them accidentaly wandered into the fish tank!

N/P, anytime.

I'm going to be haulin a few thousand crickets, some giant crawlers, and some mealworms down to fairfield. Trying to figure out how that is going to work out in the car!

Theres a cheap great method for cricket storage ... 10 gallon fish tank (9.99 anywhere) metal lid (7-10 bucks). Turn the box upside down in the fish tank and smack it in the rear a few times sharply and done. Add some cut up fresh potato and theyll be happy.

Or a big rubbermaid container (8$) with a screened lid (3$).

Heh, I'm cheap... this even holds roaches in so crix should stay in fine.

That is a funny story . Just a thought. The crickets are shipped in a box with metal screen sides. Yes they stink. I promise the UPS driver was happy to get those stinky escaping crickets off his truck! Not 100% sure but I do not think UPS will pay a claim on live critters.

thats a funny story

Brilliant ... thanks for sharing that story.