Ask about the virus
Ask any supplier whether they've had densovirus losses and how they test. A farm that shrugs at the question is the one to avoid.
Library · Species
What to farm, and what the law allows
Most of the insects farmed around the world can't legally be farmed here. In the US, the question isn't only which species grows best. It's which one you're allowed to raise and ship.
Photo: house crickets on an egg flat
Start here
House cricket
No permit to ship across state lines, buyers everywhere, and the most known about raising it. The backbone of the farm.
Photo: chapulines in a clay bowl with lime
Premium line, next
Chapulines, imported and tested
The grasshopper people already pay a premium for. Buy from Oaxacan suppliers, test every lot for lead, and sell under our label.
Photo: migratory grasshopper on prairie grass
Research, later
A native grasshopper
The migratory grasshopper is everywhere on the plains, and a year-round lab strain exists. A small permitted trial could make the first homegrown farmed chapulín.
| Species | Group | US status | Farmable here | Timing & market | Notes |
|---|
"No permit to ship" follows APHIS guidance on feeder insects, which exempts Acheta domesticus for interstate movement within the continental US. Rules change and states can add their own; confirm with APHIS PPQ and your state department of agriculture before buying or shipping live stock. "Farmable here" is our judgment of how practical each is for a US farm today.
Row by row
Crickets vs grasshoppers as a business
Grasshoppers win on price per pound and on food culture. Crickets win on everything that makes a farm run.
| Question | Crickets | Grasshoppers |
|---|---|---|
| Who buys it today? | Reptile and amphibian keepers, pet shops, bakers, protein-powder brands, chicken keepers | Mexican restaurants and grocers, adventurous snackers, mezcal bars |
| Repeat demand? | Yes. A pet lizard eats every week. | Occasional; mostly a treat or a garnish |
| Retail price | ~$22–25 per 1,000 live; ~$40/lb powder | ~$10/oz chapulines (~$160/lb) |
| Legal to farm in the US? | House cricket: yes, and shippable without a permit | Locusts: no. Native species: only with regulator sign-off |
| Feed | Dry grain feed and water | Fresh grass or greens every day, plus bran |
| Space and labor | Dense bins on racks; checks every day or two | Tall ventilated cages; daily feeding and cleaning |
| Who supplies it now? | US and Canadian farms | Wild harvest in Mexico, imported cooked |
| Biggest risk | Densovirus; thin margins | Lead in wild lots; regulation; rearing difficulty |
Prices from Pangea (1,000 crickets), EdibleInsects.com (powder), and Real de Oaxaca (chapulines, 2 oz for $19.99). Lead findings: Monterey County outbreak investigation. Grasshopper rearing: non-diapause migratory grasshopper strain.
What to look for
Buying breeding stock
Quarantine new stock
Keep incoming crickets in a separate room for a full generation. Watch for sluggish nymphs, swollen abdomens, and die-offs before mixing with the main colony.
Two sources, not one
Buy breeders from two unrelated farms so one outbreak or one supplier closing doesn't end the colony.
Start with eggs or pinheads
Egg trays or tiny pinhead nymphs ship cheaper and arrive with fewer hitchhikers than adults.
Never add wild insects
No wild crickets or grasshoppers in the rooms, ever. They bring pathogens and parasites, and some are regulated pests.
Keep records
Log every batch: source, hatch date, feed lot, room, temperature, harvest weight. It's how you find problems and it's what food inspectors ask for.