Why Crickets Will Enter A Home
A male cricket will try to attract a female by rubbing its feet together and making that familiar chirping sound, which can be the backdrop of a great night out. However, when crickets enter the home, and start to chirp inside it, it can drive you crazy, especially if you have to wake up early in the morning. Let’s find out why these insects enter our homes.
The different species of crickets
Of all the species of crickets out there, the house cricket prefers the indoors more than others. However, there are other species that may invade the home in search of food and warmth. These species include the field cricket, the ground cricket, the mole cricket, and the camel cricket.
The field cricket for example will enter the home during fall, when temperatures start to go down. This species is about 0.5 to 1.25 inches in length with a black coloration and long pointed coat tails. It will come near a building that has lighting outside it, and venture inside to stave off the cold. Once inside the building, the field cricket will find food sources such as silk, fur, wool, linen, cotton and dying insects, and start to nest
Other species of crickets will behave in a similar manner, being drawn in by outdoor lighting and entering the building in search for warmth. Once inside, they will find food, and start the infestation. Ground crickets are particularly effective at entering the home because they are a much smaller species, ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 inches in length. The camel cricket and mole cricket will do no damage indoors, but they will chirp, being just as much of a nuisance as other species.
Getting rid of crickets
There are several methods that can be used to reduce the odds of a cricket invasion. First, you want to reduce outdoor lighting, or use lighting sources that do not attract insects. You then want to make sure that there are no cracks, gaps or crevices in the exterior of the building, especially near the foundation, windows and doors. Indoor, you can use sticky traps to reduce the crickets’ numbers, along with baits, which have been known to be particularly effective. You can find these products either online or at home improvement stores. If however, an infestation persists despite your best efforts, it’s best to get in touch with a pest control company. Contact us today to set up an appointment.
