Crickets: information and control tips

A cricket is a type of insect in the family Gryllidae. They are located around the world, in nearly every country, and are famous for making sounds that are part of a mating ritual. The males of most cricket species rub a pair of delicate wings together to create the sounds. Also famous for being able to leap great distances, the majority of cricket species have wings.

Crickets can become a serious problem in some areas. In some parts of the world, crickets can actually form swarms and devour entire sections of agriculture. Here in the United States, crickets are small, dark and often mistaken for cockroaches inside the home. They can be loud an annoying and, in a rare instance, may even bite.

Cricket control services available at Western Exterminator can help get rid of crickets inside the home and our experts can offer advice on how to prevent them from getting back inside.

What is a house cricket?

The actual species of cricket known as the house cricket is the Acheta domesticus and is native to Southwest Asia. However, they have spread across the globe because of their size and the fact that people who like to keep animals like snakes, spiders and other exotic pests use them as feeder insects. Of course, this has led to some escaping allowing house crickets to establish a toe-hold in many other countries. Some people even keep house crickets as pets.

The house cricket is usually gray in color and is not very big. They grow to be about .63-.83 inches in length.

An interesting note about the house cricket is that they are often consumed by humans. In fact, there are some around the world who have proposed the idea of raising farms of these species of crickets to act as a source of protein in foods and as being more sustainable than raising meat from other animals. In many cultures, since there are so many of these insects, they are often deep fried and flavored and a popular snack food.

What is a Jerusalem cricket?

Jerusalem crickets cause people a lot of concern because they look so fearsome. These insects have very powerful jaws but are wingless. These crickets also tend to be quite large and, technically, are not true crickets and are not even true bugs. They burrow into the ground, so their powerful jaws are used for digging into the earth rather than biting. Jerusalem crickets are herbivores and eat dead leaves and other vegetation while burrowing under the dirt to hide and live.

If handled, a Jerusalem cricket may bite, so it is not recommended that you try handling them or removing them from your home with your bare hands.

Do crickets fly?

Almost all species of crickets have wings and most of them can fly. Some species of cricket can fly quite well, but the vast majority of them are erratic and clumsy flyers. Usually, crickets rely on their very powerful back legs to leap great distances and get away, but they may also extend and flap their wings to make themselves jump even farther.

Crickets vs. cockroaches

Often times crickets found in the home end up in some of the same places as cockroaches. People see the dark black or brown bodies of the crickets and assume they’re cockroaches. However, they are entirely different species of insect and generally pose much less of a risk than a cockroach infestation.

Crickets have a different body shape and they have very large, bent, back legs that set them apart from cockroaches. Crickets also do not eat meat nearly as much as cockroaches and usually are not found as quite often in kitchens or bathrooms like roaches.

Do crickets bite?

Most crickets found in North America do not bite or will bite very rarely and usually only in circumstances when they feel threatened or are being handled. That being said, however, it is not out of the realm of possibility that some species might bite. Jerusalem crickets, for example, have very powerful jaws and if they are handled can deliver a powerful bite.

These little black crickets found in more North American homes, however, do not bite and are generally harmless to people. For most homeowners in America, crickets are more of a nuisance pest than any kind of actual health risk. A large number of crickets gathered together can ruin gardens or cause damage to crops for farmers.

How to get rid of crickets in the home

Crickets, due to their size, can easily get inside a home through open doors, screens or doors with holes and small spaces in walls. Just a couple getting into a home can quickly start to breed and a female cricket can lay hundreds of eggs. If they do so inside your home, this can lead to hundreds of baby crickets in the home.

Once crickets get inside, they can be hard to find and get rid of. You might literally need to track down the noises of the crickets chirping and making sounds and physically remove each cricket. 

The best way to get rid of crickets is to make it hard for crickets to get inside: 

• seal up holes in the screens and remove spaces beneath garage doors or exterior doors
•  Make sure to close sliding patio doors during peak cricket season (warm weather months like spring and summer) quickly
• Check if your property has windows without screens and install them if they do not or are damaged
• Vacuum your rugs and carpets to make sure you get rid of any eggs that have been laid by female crickets.
• Make sure you keep vegetation away from the house and from patios and other areas where they can easily access sliding doors or other openings as much as possible.
• Repair cracks in the foundation

Western Exterminator can get rid of crickets

Western Exterminator cricket control specialists can help you get rid of crickets inside your home. We have various treatment options that can help you get rid of pest insects like crickets and other pests around your home. We will remove the current infestation and help to remove eggs and larvae that the infesting pests may have left behind.

Western Exterminator specialists are also experts in figuring out how crickets get inside your home. For a free property inspection and discussion about cricket removal options, contact your local Western Exterminator office today.