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Cricket Pest Control and Prevention
Crickets are part of the landscape during summers in New York. Most people don’t mind them; their chirping is a nuisance at worst, so they’re largely ignored unless they make their way into someone’s home. However, for businesses that deal in textiles, food distribution, or agriculture, they can become a real issue if their numbers are large enough.
If you’re dealing with a cricket problem, count on Assured Environments to make it a thing of the past. Read on to learn more about these bugs.
Types of Crickets in New York
There are about 100 species of cricket in the United States alone – and over 900 worldwide. But for residents of New York, the following are the most common you’ll see:
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
Field Cricket
Size: ⅗ to 1 inch (15-25 mm) long
Color: Black or dark brown, shiny exoskeleton
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
Cricket Behavior and Diet
Crickets are opportunistic omnivores. They feed on live, decaying, or dead plants, their fellow pest 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.
Signs of a Cricket Infestation
Crickets chirp to attract mates at night. Their chirps are loud, so chances are, if you have crickets… you’ll hear them. Look for large feeding holes in different types of fabric such as wool, cotton, silk, or leather.
House crickets lie on flat surfaces in damp, dark areas. If you have a significant infestation, you may notice “frass,” which is dried excrement, building up around these surfaces.
Cricket Prevention Tips
- 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.
Prevention is always key when it comes to pests! Crickets don’t generally pose a real threat to people, but since they like to feed on other bugs, their presence can indicate another pest problem. When you have an infestation and need cricket pest control, contact Assured Environments.
Get Expert Cricket Pest Control in New York
If you’re not sure how crickets are getting into your building, call the experts at Assured Environments. We can help you determine entry points and seal them up so pests can’t use them. In the case of crickets, it’s likely that you’re dealing with another underlying pest issue as well. With our comprehensive inspections and customized pest control plans, you’ll have peace of mind like never before.
Give us a call today to get started with a free inspection!
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.