Are crickets cannibals?

Question

Every August, my office (and most of this part of the city) is infested by crickets. Its like a biblical plague in here. I stepped on one earlier this morning and now two of the others keep resting on top the body and appear to be eating it. I didn't know they were cannibalistic, but I can't imagine what other reason they would be so interested in the body.

And, just to complain, there are like FIFTY of them in here, chirping and chirping and chirping and chirping!!! Not to mention jumping around and startling me. I think I'll be taking a long lunch... somewhere else. Its even worse outside though. You can barely see the ground beneath them all and the blackbirds are just lazily picking them off by the dozens.

Answer 1

they're omnivores. check out the link below.

Answer 2

crickets are like cockroaches in that they will eat anything, even the bodies of fallen comrades.

Answer 3

they definitely can be.  they're quite nippy little things.

i raise tarantulas, and when my tarantulas molt (making them very fragile) i have to remove the crickets (which are typically their food) so they won't nip at the tarantulas and injure them.

Answer 4

Seems they can be:

Without, and often with, an adequate diet the crickets will prey on each other.

(taken from http://www.anapsid.org/crickets.html )

Answer 5

Cannibalistic? I don't think so!

Scavengers? Maybe!

Answer 6

Crickets are omnivorous, which means they feed on both plants and animals.  Sometimes adults will eat their own, so they are also cannibals.