The following article is a transcript from the BlogTalkRadio Danny Mendez Urban Jungle show titled Silence of the Cricket dated 06/25/2010.
Danny interviewed Darren from Reptilefeeders.com (Canadian feeder company) concerning the recent issue of the virus devastating the feeder insect market.
Here are some of the points Darren made about the virus:
Some insect farms have closed their doors!
Ghanns (featured on Dirty Jobs) has not been affected so far.
The virus started in Europe, moved to Canada, then moved to US.
The virus is deadly at the 3rd instar- 3rd shedding.
There are no symptoms initially- once it hits certain level then you see symptoms then death.
Seems to only affects Acheta Domestica.
The virus does not seem to affect reptiles/arachnids.
It has been around N. America since September 2009.
It can survive outside host for very long time, can spread by air and of course by contact, and can be spread by other insects (superworms).
Europe keepers are using Jamaican field cricket and African field cricket and are also growing grasshoppers.
Many Reptile Farms are coolaborating to fight this virus.
Conclusion- real eye opener and might force North America to develop and adapt to other feeder insects
Ghann’s FAQ Is there really a CRICKET VIRUS going around?
