Autumn Approaches, and Crickets Too
It’s that time of year–you might be beginning to see crickets hopping around the foundation of your home, and entering the garage. As temperatures cool, they will enter your home, too. There are actually four major varieties of crickets, but we’ll focus on two here; Field Crickets and House Crickets. Camel Crickets, sometimes called Spider Crickets, will be covered in a later post.
The field cricket can be found virtually anywhere in America.
Field Crickets are dark brown, gray, or black, and usually stay outside, eating plants. In the late fall and winter, however, as vegetation dries up and temperatures drop, field crickets will seek refuge inside structures, both seeking food and warmth. A good start to controlling field crickets is concentrating on outdoor lighting, as they are attracted to lighted areas, and mowing lawns, as tall grass provides excellent harborage for all kinds of pests.
House crickets are lighter in color, and slightly smaller.
House Crickets are more of a yellow/brown color, and despite living outdoors have no problem entering a house and feeling right at home. They’re nocturnal, and will eat just about anything–fruits and vegetables, various foods, paper, fabrics, and more. You probably don’t have to worry about damage, but be assured that it’s not necessary to leave food sitting around for a cricket population to survive comfortably in the average home.
Here are some control ideas:
- Mow the lawn and remove weeds from around the house. These areas provide harborage.
- Using yellow bulbs for outdoor lighting attract fewer insects of all varieties, including Field and House Crickets.
- All points accessing the structure should be sealed or screened appropriately–utility lines, drains, vents, etc.
- Is your garage door secure? If there is space between it and the ground, even a small one, many pests can access the garage and home. Not just ants, spiders, and crickets; mice too!
- If you have difficulty tracking down crickets inside, try using a vacuum cleaner. Focus on warm areas (in the kitchen, under the stove, throughout the basement), as well as any cracks or crevices.
Of course, Brasure’s Pest Control – Fenwick Island - Bethany Beach DE, can do perimeter sprays (in and outdoors) that are quite effective at eliminating existing cricket populations and preventing new ones, and all kinds of crickets are covered by our Premium Protection Plan. For more information on these, or crickets in general, please feel free to call us at (302) 436-8140 or (800) 908-1000.
In a future post, we will look at Camel Crickets, and how they might be an indicator of mold in your crawlspace or basement.
The Camel Cricket: Not as scary as it looks.