Cricket Identification & Prevention

Crickets are insects in the order Orthoptera. They are relatives of grasshoppers, locusts, and katydids. Like these other insects, crickets have a pair of rear legs much longer and stronger than the others.

In some cricket species, such as the camel cricket, these powerful legs allow them to jump long distances. Other types of crickets can barely jump at all. However, even in this case, their legs still serve a purpose.

Male crickets create the distinctive cricket chirping that attracts female crickets to mate. Male crickets can chirp either by rubbing their legs along their wings' foretips or simply by rubbing their wings together. Creating these songs helps them attract mates.

As a general rule, crickets are not dangerous. Their chirps can be annoying, especially if they are chirping away while hiding somewhere in your house. But most crickets are a little more than nuisance pests.

However, some cricket species can carry strains of bacteria that can cause illnesses, such as E. coli and salmonella. They may also contaminate your food with feces-containing parasites. Some cricket varieties may also damage property by eating things like fabrics and upholstery made of natural fibers. So it's important to keep them out of your house.

Like most other insects, crickets invade houses that make it easy for them to get what they need: food, shelter, and moisture. Sometimes, drought may drive them into your home as they seek water and relief from the Southern California heat.

Other times, you may not be storing the foods that crickets like to eat properly. For instance, if you leave pet food sitting out all the time, it may attract crickets as well as other insects. Crickets are not picky and will eat what they can get, so just about any food you can think of can serve as a cricket attractant.

Crickets live in caves, under plant litter, rotting logs, and similar areas in the wild. They like places where it's damp and dark, so if you find them in your house, you'll find them in many of the same places you would find cockroaches. Crickets will hang out in basements, crawl spaces, under appliances, and anywhere else that provides enough humidity and is sufficiently out of your way.

It can be tricky to get rid of crickets once they invade your home. There are a number of reasons for this, but the main ones are their breeding speed and the ineffectiveness of the cricket control products on the open market. Crickets can sexually mature in as little as a few days and lay hundreds of eggs throughout their lives. A breeding population of crickets inside your home can quickly explode. Against this rapid replication, things like sticky traps and cricket baits don't stand a chance.

That's where The Termite Guy comes in. We might have termites in our name, but all pests are our game. We have access to professional tools and pest elimination techniques that mean even the fastest-breeding crickets cannot outrun us. If you've tried to get rid of your cricket problem and failed, it may be time to call in the pros.

While getting rid of crickets on your own may not be in the cards, the good news is it is a lot easier to prevent a cricket infestation than to get rid of one. Even better, a lot of the same methods you already use to keep things like cockroaches and ants away can work for crickets as well:

• Keep all indoor and outdoor garbage cans tightly covered.
• Address moisture problems like condensation and poor drainage.
• Store pantry foods in airtight containers, including pet foods.
• Seal up cracks and holes in your home that crickets could use to enter your house.

And remember, if you wind up with a cricket infestation that gets out of hand, the best cricket and pest control in California, The Termite Guy, is just a click or call away.