Pest Control for Crickets

Cricket Pest Control and Prevention

Crickets are attracted to darkness, heat, and humidity. Controlling the humidity of your building is the best way to keep them out. Consider investing in a dehumidifier for particularly at-risk areas (like your basement) and ensure those have proper ventilation.

Look for and seal cracks around the foundation, siding, frames, or utility lines with caulk. Try to reduce the number of things that attract crickets to your building. Replace white outdoor lights with “cooler” yellow lights, and trim grass and bushes frequently.‌ When you have an infestation and need cricket pest control, contact Assured.

A sideways-facing cricket on a white background.

Different Types of Crickets

A House Cricket on a white background.

House Cricket

Size: ¾ to ⅞ inches (16-22 mm) long

Color: Grey, light yellow-brown or tan body with three dark bands on top of its head

A Field Cricket on a white background.

Field Crickets

Size: ⅗ to 1 inches (15-25 mm) long

Color: Black or dark brown, shiny exoskeleton

A small cricket on a white background.

Camel Cricket

Size: ½ an inch long with long, spider-like legs. Sometimes called “Sprickets”, or “spider crickets”

Color: Tan with dark brown and tan banded markings on torso, legs and antennae

Behavior and Diet

Crickets are opportunistic omnivores. They feed on live, decaying, or dead plants, living or dead insects, and fabrics. Most crickets are nocturnal, and many chirp loudly to attract mates at night. They seek out dark, humid, and warm locations.

Most crickets become a pest hazard in autumn. They may also attempt to leave your building in spring when outdoor temperatures rise. Crickets can also reproduce indoors, so you may continue to see them all winter during an infestation.

Reproduction and Cricket Life Cycle

The speed of cricket reproduction and life cycle depends on environmental temperature. In a humid environment with a temperature of 80-90°F, house crickets complete their entire life cycle in two to three months.

A single cricket can lay over 100 eggs in her lifetime. Cricket eggs hatch into nymphs after around 14 days. House crickets reach adulthood after their wings fully develop. Upon maturing, house crickets immediately begin searching for food and mates.

Get Expert Cricket Pest Control in NYC

If you’re not sure how crickets are getting into your house, call the experts at Assured Environments. Our technicians can locate the source of your cricket problem and eliminate them for good. Schedule your appointment today and say goodbye to annoying chirps.

More Information

Cricket FAQ

Can crickets fly?

Field crickets and house crickets can fly, while others simply crawl or "hop" relatively long distances. Even flying crickets can't fly long distances, however and may prefer to use their powerful legs to jump.

What are crickets attracted to?

Crickets like dark, humid areas. They eat spoiled or rotting organic material but, in your home, crickets are attracted to natural fabrics like cotton, wool, silk or leather.

What do crickets eat?

In the wild, crickets eat decomposing fruit, rotting leaves and other insects. In your home they will feed on natural textiles like cotton, wool and leather. They will also eat sweet tasting adhesives like wallpaper glue.

How long do crickets live?

Cricket lifespan typically lasts a few months, but crickets can survive for a year without cold weather or predators. Crickets can live longer inside a house and may last up to two years.

Where do crickets go in winter?

Do crickets hibernate? In the wild, crickets go into diapause during the winter. Diapause is like hibernation but more extreme. Animals in diapause essentially shut down their bodily functions and enter a state of suspended animation.

How do crickets chirp?

Crickets make their distinctive loud chirping by scraping their serrated forewings together in the air (a process called "stridulation"). Crickets chirp at different tempos depending on species and temperature. The scientific law measuring the rate at which crickets chirp relative to the environmental temperature is called "Dolbear's Law."

Why do crickets chirp?

Only males chirp. This allows female crickets to recognize mates easier. When two males meet, they will try to chirp more aggressively to discourage the other from working its territory.

Do crickets bite?

Some crickets are capable of biting but it’s not likely that they will. And if a cricket does bite you, it probably won’t break the skin.

How to get rid of crickets?

You can find many natural recipes for cricket repellent. Some people leave molasses traps that crickets become stuck in. Others make a spray out of soapy water and chili peppers. We like to think a visit from your local pest control experts will give you the best results.