Crickets are rather harmless insects. They belong to the Gryllidae family and are distant relatives of grasshoppers. Probably, everybody has heard their characteristic chirping singing in summertime (by which males attract females) and read the stories about them in children’s books (Carlo Collodi, Charles Dickens, etc.). However, crickets can create problems if they start reproducing in your own house. In this case, you must get rid of crickets definitely, because once inside, they can destroy anything made from paper, silk, wool, etc. Even walls and furniture are in danger. The good news is that you can get rid of crickets in the house naturally. This article offers simple and effective strategy aimed at eliminating this green pest from your home.
So, if you are currently facing this cricket problem, here there are some pieces of simple advice to bring the situation under control and to get rid of crickets using some home remedies.
How to get rid of crickets in house
Actually, this problem in your house must be solved in several stages. Combining these three steps is the best way to get rid of crickets:
- Eliminating these green insects that are already in your house.
- Preventing them from getting into your house.
- Making your house and the territory around it unattractive for these insects.
To eliminate this green pest, you can use two basic methods:
1. Chemical
- insecticide spray
- balls
- etc
2. Natural
- traps
- predators
- vacuum cleaner
Poison & spray
Since you have already noticed these green invaders multiplicating in your house, you must start immediately with their elimination, since this is the most urgent problem. You can definitely get rid of crickets in your house The most effective way to destroy them would be to use poison, i. e. an insecticide spray. Use either a universal spray, or a special one for crickets. However, you should rather avoid this method if you have little kids or pets in the house. Even if it is not the case, be very careful with a spray, as it is toxic. Another effective chemical against these insects is made in the shape of solid balls or bars which you have to place near walls, door, windows. Again, be careful with this pesticide for crickets if you have kids or pets around the house, don’t let them go near it.
Another important step is to eliminate crickets’ eggs from your house. Since cricket bug was seen in your house, there is a high probability that they have laid their eggs inside. Yes, unfortunately, crickets do lay eggs in the house, though usually they do it in the soil. Normally they do it around autumn time. So, use a potent vacuum cleaner, preferably with HEPA system, which will allow you to extract insects eggs from your carpets, furniture, etc. Having removed the eggs with vacuum cleaner, you may proceed to the next stage of you anti-cricket campaign.
How to get rid of crickets naturally
Traps and bait
Here there are some other ways to destruct these insects. You can also use various traps and bait to eliminate these representatives of the family Gryllidae in your house. These are some simple home remedies to killcrickets.
ATTENTION: Be sure to place the cricket traps near the walls, doors, windows, etc. as these are the strategic points, which insects use to enter your habitat.
But can crickets climb walls, you may ask. Actually, they can do it very well, that is why it is so easy for them to get inside of your dwelling. However, the good news is that their predators, lizards and spiders, are also very good in climbing walls, hence, can hunt them effectively.
The action of such traps is based on the combination of cricket bait and poison (or liquid); crickets are attracted by some smells, which act as a bait like sweet smell, sweat smell, rubbish smell, etc. Attracted by these smells, insects get into glue or water, which kills crickets naturally.
What attracts crickets?
Remember that they like hot and moist places, so be sure to place traps not only in the proximity of walls, corners, doors and windows in your house but also on the spots which are warm and humid. They also can live in basements and crawl the walls of buildings to come inside. Hence, eliminating their nests in the basement and placing traps and poison in the proximity of walls is how you’ll manage to get rid of crickets in the wall.
The effectiveness of the most popular and effective traps is based on the employment of:
- pitfalls or holes and soap water solution
- other water solutions
- glue
You can easily make these traps by yourself at home. Here are some easy tips how to make a cricket trap.
- Find a suitable container with a hole or pitfall with slippery wall, which makes it impossible for the insects to get out. Fill it with soap water. Your homemade cricket killer is ready for use. Don’t forget to change the water regularly.
- Another natural cricket deterrent is also easily made. To be exact, you do not have to do anything at all. Just take an empty beer bottle with a little bit of beer left and offer it to the insects. You thought that you are the only one who loves beer? Forget it! Crickets seem to be great gourmets in this respect, they like beer. The problem is, that they can not find the way out of the bottle after the beer party is over.
- Make a cricket trap using molasses. Find a rather shallow container, put some molasses in it, as these insects like it a lot. Add water to the container and don’t forget to change it often. In this way you are killing crickets with molasses.
- Sticky traps or stripes are always rather effective to fight all kind of insects, and crickets are not an exception. They get attracted by the smell of such a trap and the glue does the rest of the job.
Now, once you have eliminated these insects and their eggs from your house, it is high time to think how to avoid these invasions or rather, cricket infestation, in the future.
How do crickets get in the house?
Through any opening they can find, at any height.
Do crickets hop, you wonder? They are famous for it. Hence, first of all, seal your house. Inspect your home carefully for the presence of holes in your windows, walls and floors, as the insects can come inside from any of these holes. Also, remember, that crickets can also live in the basement of the buildings. So, do not forget to poison crickets also there.
Where do house crickets live?
Actually, house crickets can live everywhere, in every moist place in your house, including the roof of the house, especially if old leaves and rubbish remain there too long and start rotting.
Actually, cricket nest can be located even there, as well as in the basement. Hence, use any suitable hermetic to seal your doors and windows, seal your home and seal all entry points. Buy a special strip and fix it under your entrance door to prevent the insects coming from there.
Also, avoid the formation of humidity in your home, since it attracts crickets. Actually, humidity is attractive not only for them but for many other undesirable invaders in your home as well, Take, for instance, mold, moth, etc. That is why you must reduce moisture at home.
IMPORTANT: keep your waste bin tightly closed, as the smell of rotting rubbish also attracts this green pest.
Also, get rid of trash regularly for the same reason.
Place some traps outside your house under the walls, windows and in the proximity of the entrance doors.
There are some very simple and effective non toxic homemade sprays, which act as a natural cricket repellent. These ecologically friendly home remedies for getting rid of crickets you can easily prepare by yourself. However, you should keep in mind that these substances don’t kill insects but simply repell them.
- SOAP WATER SPRAY. Fill in the spray bottle with water and soap, spray it around the house. Soap penetrates the skin of insects and irritates it.
- CHILLY SPRAY, or homemade pepper bug spray. This is another natural repellent for crickets. Fill in the spray bottle with water and chilly, spray it around the house. Chilly penetrates the skin of insects and irritates it.
Speaking about natural repellents for various insects, we should not forget about the use of essential oils. Apart from being used to fight against various allergies, insomnia, infections, fungi spores and so on, oils are also very effective against the army of unwelcome household invaders like insects. You can try various oils for this purpose: lavender oil, peppermint oil, bergamot, pine oil and so on. In other words, feel free to use essential oils to keep crickets away.
Crickets are attracted by bright light, especially in the night. So, remove bright light everywhere. If possible, do not use very bright light in your house in the evening, you can also substitute normal bulbs with LED ones, their light is not so attractive for the insects. Also, use very thick curtains or blinds, so that the bright light from your windows at night does not invite the insects to come nearer.
How to get rid of crickets in the yard
Another important step in your anti-cricket campaign is the melioration of the territory around your house in order to make it less attractive for these insects. We have already mentioned what attracts these insects: moisture, sweets, rotting rubbish, vegetation, etc. Thus, here is some practical advice:
- Avoid the formation of muddy, swampy spots in the proximity of your house
- Mow the grass around the house regularly, since insects like high grass. It is indeed very important to cut back vegetation regularly.
- Avoid storing hey, wood and silos in the proximity of the house.
- Avoid willowy plants, bushes and trees close to your house. Trim the trees regularly.
- Clean the roof of your house and water drains from old leaves, grass and rubish.
- If you keep lights on during the night around your house, change them for LED lights to attract as less insects as possible. Remember, that crickets like light.
- Some plants are natural repellents for crickets, these are nitrogen fixing plants. Plant sweet peas, for example, in your garden to keep this green pest away from your house. This method, alongside with using natural cricket predators, make part of biocontrol method.
Remember one of the basic rules of zoology that every species makes a part of a food chain. Let this simple rule work on your side in your fight against these representatives of the Gryllidae family. So, what are crickets predators? Lizards eat these insects, so let them be the natural destructors of this green pest. As a matter of fact, also cats and birds are good cricket predators. So, make them your allies in this campaign. Also, consider installing bird feeders near your house.
It is also possible to use pesticides on your grounds to diminish insects invasion. Such pesticides are often made on the basis of diatomaceous earth (diatomite). However, be careful while using pesticides and follow the instructions carefully.
NOTE: do not use much pesticides around your house as it scares predators that can naturally diminish the number of insects around the house.
Cricket lifespan
In order to fight crickets effectively, it is important to know some simple facts about their life. The most important thing to know about them is their life span. Their life span is about two-three months as an egg and larvae. As adults, they can live up to three weeks. However, it is amazing how long do crickets live without food: they can survive up to two weeks without food and water. So, if you are wondering what do crickets need to survive, the answer is… practically nothing. Minimum of water and food. If these are not available, they can last for two weeks anyway. Different people have different attitude to crickets chirping, some like it, some are indifferent, others hate it, especially in the night it can be very disturbing in your house or near it. How to get crickets to be quiet? Actually, only lower temperatures and the lack of water can put an end to their love songs. So, if you are wandering how to stop crickets from chirping, you have only these two factors at your disposal.
Do some crickets, for example, black crickets bite? Or, are crickets harmful? Sometimes, in extreme cases, these insects can bite humans. Usually it happens when people try to pick them up with their fingers. However, the bites are not dangerous, though rather painful.