ACTIVITY 19

Cricket Behavior*

Teaching Objectives:

1. Students will observe and record cricket behavior.

Materials Needed:

• Crickets purchased from a bait shop or ordered from Biological Supply Houses
• Clear plastic containers
• Apples, lettuce, wheat bran, oatmeal, dry dog food

Procedure:

Place several male and female house crickets, Acheta domesticus, into a clear plastic container. Place food items such as pieces of apple, lettuce, oatmeal, wheat germ, and dry dog food in the container with the crickets.

Suggested Questions:

1. Are the crickets eating? What are they eating? Describe or draw how they are eating.
2. How many males and females do you have? (Refer to figure 1.)
3. Are any of the crickets mating?
4. Are any of the crickets making chirping sounds? Does any certain thing stimulate them to do this?

*Created by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History

Listen to cricket Sounds.