HOW I USED TO RAISE LOCUSTS!

These instructions will work for raising both Schistocerca gregaria and Locusta migratoria

The first thing you need is a proper cage (or preferably two).
The ones we used to use at the butterfly farm were manufactured as locust cages and mega-expensive, but if you can build your own that would be fine.
The overall dimensions were 24" wide, 12" deep and 18" high. The actual cage part was 6" off the ground so the inner cage itself was 12"x12"x24". The reason for the large gap underneath was to provide air circulation and for the droppings to fall through. The inner floor was made of pegboard type hardboard/ masonite. The ends were also hardboard but solid, not ventilated. The front and the back were glass and they could slide out (upwards). The top was hardboard with 6"x6" hole cut in it and a top that sat in the hole and had wire mesh in it for ventilation. The lower base was chipboard about 1/2" thick
There was a light fitting at one end and we used a 100W bulb if I remember correctly. They need to be kept warm!

We fed them grass, which we picked fresh daily and pushed into water-filled glass jars. You need to locate a source of long grass that is available year-round (we had several sources; even in the winter when it snowed)
We also provided bran as a source of carbohydrate.
We misted them twice daily.

Once they matured, we replaced the floor (the floors were ‘drop-in') with one that only went partway across the cage (see dotted line). The gap that was left was filled by a large deep tray of moistened sand for them to lay in. They need the depth because the females of both species can extend their ovipositors up to 4 or 5 inches.

The trays were removed weekly and then kept warm (around 90F) with a sheet of glass on top until they hatched, at which point they were moved to a cage which had a floor that had extra fine mesh on it to stop the hoppers getting through. You will need to keep the sand moist and make sure a crust doesn't form and trap the emerging nymphs.