Reader question: Growing locusts in the Isaan, who has tips?

My tip is to lock everything up properly because if you're not careful, your own neighbors will eat your entire herd before you know it! Good luck !!

I think you're asking the question at such a basic level that I wonder if you're doing it wisely.
How much preliminary research have you already done?
Start a small insect farm at home

http://www.openbugfarm.com/

In Thailand there are about 20 000 cricket farms. visit a few before you start.
To find them, just ask at the market where they are for sale.
here you will find a lot of information http://teca.fao.org/read/7927
What you also have to take into account is the fact that you need a work permit.

Dear Huib,

I have been a breeder of locusts for many years, both in Belgium and now in Thailand. In Belgium I stopped because of the many problems I encountered with animal protection and all kinds of animal rights organizations. I had to meet so many requirements that it became practically impossible to continue breeding these animals in a financially responsible way. Among other things, I was obliged to respect a calculated free-running area for the animals, to provide a recreation place, to have sanitary facilities for these animals, even then separate for the female and male specimens…. so just don't do it.

So we moved to Thailand, the Isarn, where no one would even think of imposing such stupid conditions on a future entrepreneur.

What do you need for breeding now? Even if you are a possible future competitor, I will tell you exactly what and how. After all, there is such a great need in Thailand for these farmed locusts that I cannot meet the demand on my own.

To start with, you need a well-selected breeding pair. For the female specimens there is no problem in Thailand. These are usually very prolific and easy to find in the wild. The highest concentrations of these prolific specimens are even found around major tourist attractions such as Pattaya.

The male specimens are a bigger problem as they have a bad reputation, well founded or otherwise, of being lazy and unfaithful. Something the female specimens don't appreciate. So a good advice: take some foreign male specimens to the nursery in Thailand. You will see for yourself that the female specimens fly up there with all their most seductive tricks.

Recognizing the sex of these animals can be difficult at first… especially with the female specimens… there are quite a few of them that are very female at first sight, but on closer examination they are not. So some caution is advisable. The easiest way to recognize them is : you put the animal on your palm on your back ... if it stays down it is a female, if the animal jumps away you can say that it is a male specimen.

As far as housing is concerned, a very high enclosure is required as these animals can jump quite high and far. This problem is easy to solve with “flying” roosters because you can clip them, which makes flying impossible. With “grass” roosters it is difficult to shorten their legs of course… so a high fence is definitely necessary.

once you have mastered all this, you can start your nursery carefree. Large yields guaranteed and few problems with all kinds of diseases… these critters are real survivors and if you administer the necessary financial injections every month you can be sure of their productivity