You’ve probably heard the familiar chirping of crickets outside your home. Some people consider these noisy little critters to be pests. Some consider them to be harmless but annoying. Others consider them beneficial because they eat them for health benefits or because they feed them to their snakes, iguanas, and other pets.
While crickets aren’t considered a serious pest to human territory and don’t usually cause property damage, they can still be a noisy nuisance that not everyone wants hanging around their home. But what are crickets, and what do crickets do?
What Are Crickets?
Crickets are mostly nocturnal insects that can be found worldwide. They’re closely related to grasshoppers and katydids. There are many species of cricket. Some invade homes, while others don’t. The most common types of crickets include:
- Camel crickets: Camel crickets, also known as cave crickets, have a tan body with a hump on their back. They can grow to be around ¾ inches long. While many crickets have wings, camel crickets don’t. Camel crickets favor cool and moist areas that have plenty of shade. They’re commonly found under logs and stones. When they enter homes, they can be found in environments that are similar to those they prefer outdoors, such as basements. Their diet consists of plant debris and paper products. Camel crickets are not attracted to light sources.
- Field crickets: Field crickets can grow to be around ½ to ¾ inches long. They have dark brown and black bodies and large rounded wings. Field crickets are known for their chirping or singing. As their name suggests, field crickets are often found in fields. They are also commonly found in pastures, yards, and alongside roadways. Their diet consists of various plants and dead and weak insects. They occasionally feed on other crickets as well. Unlike camel crickets, field crickets are attracted to light sources and can cause some problems when entering homes, such as destroying fabrics made of cotton, silk, linen, and wool.
- House crickets: House crickets have a yellow to brown body with long, pointed wings. Three dark bands stretch behind their head. They can grow to be around ¾ inches long. House crickets are a common nuisance in outdoor settings, specifically around garbage dumps. Like field crickets, they are attracted to light sources, feed on plant material and dead or weak insects, and, when indoors, feed on fabrics.
Camel, field, and house crickets can all invade homes, usually accidentally. This happens through open doors and windows and through cracks in the foundation.
What Do Crickets Look Like?
If you're wondering what crickets look like, you should know the physical appearance of crickets varies between species. They can come in various sizes and colors, some with wings and some without. Most crickets will have a small humped-back body and bent hind legs.
What Do Crickets Do?
Some crickets, such as the field and house crickets, sing. Others, such as the camel cricket, don’t. This is because field and house crickets have wings that are rubbed together to produce song. Since camel crickets lack wings, they are unable to produce any melody. Additionally, only males produce sound. Temperature affects how they sing. Warmer climates allow them to sing faster. Due to their temperature-based singing, it’s easy to guess the outside temperature when you hear a cricket chirp. To do this, simply count the number of chirps you hear within a 15 second radius, then add 40. You’ll end up with a temperature in Fahrenheit that is close to what the actual temperature is.
Crickets have three songs, each with its own specific meaning. Two songs are used in mating rituals – one to attract females and the other to begin courtship. The third song is a defensive and aggressive tune used to show dominance and warn away other male crickets.
Crickets pick up on songs through their eardrums, which are located on their front legs.
Some crickets are kept as pets in places like China, while others are kept to engage in cricket fighting. In America, it’s common for people to keep crickets as a food source for their other pets.
What Do Crickets Eat?
Are you wondering what do crickets eat?
A cricket’s diet will depend on the type of cricket in question. Many feed on plants, while some favor feeding on weak and dead insects. Some may even feed on fabrics if nothing else is readily available for them to consume.
Some common foods that crickets like to eat include:
- Bread and biscuits
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cornflakes
- Fruits
- Mulch
- Potatoes
- Romaine lettuce
- Seeds
- Squash
Are Crickets Dangerous?
Crickets are not dangerous and pose no significant risk to humans. However, many people find them to be annoying nuisances, especially when crickets enter homes and begin singing. Indoor crickets also pose a risk to fabrics as they like to chew and feed on textiles made from wool, cotton, linen, and other materials.
If you’re wondering, “do crickets bite or sting?”, the answer is no.
Are Crickets Edible?
Crickets have gained popularity as a food source to both humans and livestock – but are crickets edible?
Yes, crickets are one of many edible insects. They provide sources of protein, fat, and important vitamins. In fact, consuming crickets is so beneficial that the United Nations have advocated and encouraged global nations to take part in consuming crickets and other insects.
Signs You Have Crickets
Field, house, and camel crickets are the main house intruders in the cricket world. Once inside your home, both house and camel crickets have been known to reproduce. However, most crickets wander inside from outside and are not the culprit of mating crickets.
The most obvious sign you have a cricket problem is the chirping you’ll hear. Most of the time, you may hear it outside your windows. Sometimes you may hear it inside your home, which indicates that you have a cricket intruder. Perhaps more than one.
If you find yourself with crickets inside your home, you may want to consider investing in some minor home repairs. For example, you may need to inspect your doors to ensure that they fit snugly. Weather stripping may need to be replaced or adjusted. Insulation may also need to be adjusted or replaced.
Cricket Prevention
If you wish to prevent crickets from lurking inside and outside your home, then you’ll need to practice good hygiene efforts. Remove leaf piles and debris such as bricks, rocks, and lumbar. Crickets love hiding underneath these items, so they should be kept away from the foundation of your home. Keep groundcovers and other vegetation trimmed away from your home and ensure outdoor lights are kept dim. As for indoor lights, make sure to use shades and drapes to shield the outside world from your indoor light sources. Also, ensure that you fix any moisture problems, specifically in your basement and crawl spaces.
How To Get Rid of Crickets
If you have a cricket problem, you're probably wondering how to get rid of crickets. Well, you have a few options. Vacuum cleaners are an effective and non-toxic way of eliminating insect pests like crickets. You can also use sticky traps to trap them. In severe situations, you can use baits or outdoor perimeter sprays. There are many products on the market that help with cricket control. A licensed pest control professional can also be hired to eliminate the crickets on your behalf.
Using chemical control solutions is not always recommended, especially if no repairs are being done to prevent crickets from recurring. So, if you plan on going the chemical route, be sure to make appropriate fixes around your home to decrease the possibility of crickets returning to your property.