In 1945 Gene Armstrong dropped a few crickets in a bucket with sand on the bottom. Three weeks later he discovered that Mother Nature had provided the family with a month's worth of live bait!   

This was an exciting discovery to the Armstrong family and Gene's dad Tal saw an opportunity that no one had seen before. Within a year Tal Armstrong was growing not only crickets but also an entirely new commercial industry.

The idea of having crickets, known as "the best" live bait for bream, perch and catfish, year-round, proved to be a very popular one among fishermen all over the South. Soon Tal also realized a whole new demand for crickets: as a choice pet food for many reptiles and amphibians. High in protein, live food is an important part of herpetological diets.

"Even my best friends laughed when I quit a prosperous plumbing business and spent $10,000 to start this new endeavor," he said.

But his ideas and determination paid off and the new business was a success from the start. South Georgia anglers, who had spent hours scouring fields for crickets, found it much simpler to buy Armstrong crickets. Advertising in magazines and newspapers created an additional demand for live bait and in 1947, Armstrong Crickets became the first commercial cricket grower in the United States. 

Due to the demand for crickets in the western portion of the US, a second farm was added in West Monroe, Louisiana in 1954. By 1955, the farm was producing over 20,000,000 crickets a year and hired as many as 21 employees during peak summer months. The Acheta domestica, the original and ONLY cricket sold by Armstrong, became a staple for zoos and fishermen. Despite the different varieties of crickets now available, Armstrong Crickets continues to grow the ORIGINAL Armstrong Cricket. These live crickets are known for their smell, taste and nutritional value, and are easily digestible to reptiles and birds. The Original Armstrong live crickets are also known to be gentle creatures, safe for all pet cages and human touch.

To compliment herptile diets and fishing needs, Armstrong Crickets added a worm farm which raises healthy meal worms, wax worms, big reds, nightcrawlers, and super worms. Today Armstrong’s Cricket Farm meets the demands of bait stores, zoos, pet shops, and individuals with live crickets and worms for reptiles, birds, and fish. These live feeder insects are shipped directly to your door - healthy and ready to be the next meal for your pet.

Throughout the decades the Armstrong's have continued to offer personal customer service and quality products with a live insect delivery guarantee. Our live reptile food is shipped directly to your door - making reptile care convenient and fun!

Many have followed in our footsteps in this highly specialized field, but none can boast they are the original. Read more to discover what makes Armstrong’s cricket the best…