- Last Updated on November 2, 2020
How to Get Rid of Crickets [Best Removal Guide that works!]
Jiminy crickets—you’ve got crickets!
You’re not sure how, but those pesky bugs have gotten into your home. House crickets can be noisy, annoying, and nasty—but the problem with these singing insects goes even deeper than that. Though these bugs may seem harmless, cricket waste in the United States can house diseases such as salmonella and E. coli—as if the waste itself wasn’t bad enough!
In this guide, we’ll tell you how to identify house crickets, determine your level of infestation, and (most importantly) get rid of crickets in your home once and for all.
Keep reading to find out how to solve your cricket problem today!
Identifying House Crickets
Calm down. Take a deep breath. Maybe that strange bug in your house isn’t a cricket after all. Before freaking out, it’s crucial that you know just what a house cricket looks like. So how can you tell? Adult house crickets are yellowish brown with three black bands across their heads. Their wings generally lie flat against their backs, and they have antennae that are longer than their bodies. Adult house crickets are nearly an inch long, making them bigger than nymphs, and have six legs. These bugs also tend to be noisy, most often at night.
How You Know You’re Infested
So you’ve seen a cricket in your house. There’s still a chance it was a one-off. This is particularly true if there have been changes in the environment outside your house, such as drought or dramatic temperature changes.
If you do see a cricket, however, you’ll want to check for a broader infection. Here are some common signs that you have a cricket situation:
Chirping
The most distinctive sign of a cricket infestation is the unmistakable chirping sound these insects make. A mating call, the sound is made when male crickets rub their front wings together to attract females. If you hear this sound, this is a clear sign that crickets have invaded your home.
Chewed Fabric
If you’ve noticed chewed up couch cushions, think twice before blaming the dog. The culprit could be crickets. We don’t commonly think of these pests as biters, but looks can be deceiving. Don’t worry—these bites are generally painless. Still, given enough time, crickets can damage fabrics around your home. Specifically, these bugs love chewing on the edges of furniture and burying into other fabrics made of cotton, silk, and wool. If you’ve witnessed torn fabrics, loud chirping at night, and an occasional cricket here and there, you’ll want to take action immediately to get the raucous critters out of your house.
Where to Find Those Pesky Crickets
It can be nearly impossible to locate crickets based off chirping alone. If you want to tackle the issue head on, you’ll need to know where to look. Fortunately, these insects can largely be found in the same areas throughout the house. In order to get your cricket situation under control, make sure to check the following locations:
Warm Moist Areas
House crickets love two things most of all: heat and moisture. Combine the two, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster. Crickets love staying in areas that provide them with ample moisture and heat—such as the kitchen—so make sure to check there if you suspect a cricket invasion of your home. Even though crickets love light and prefer it to dark, they have been known to nest in basements, particularly those basements that are brightly lit and are moist.
Cluttered or Messy Spots
House crickets also love refuse. If you have a cricket problem, you can bet the buggers will be where you least want to be yourself—somewhere messy. Check near your garbage can or in any rooms that are particularly cluttered. You may find crickets simply hiding away, particularly if the room is filled with trash or fabrics (and even more so if the room happens to be warmer than room temperature). As you can see, proper pest control starts with simple, routine cleaning.
Bright Spots
Like other insects, crickets are drawn out of the dark to bright light. Not only do they feed off the heat admitted by electrical light, but they prefer to habitat in brightly lit places. You may expect to find them, then, along walls and near lightbulbs, including right outside your door on the porch. You’ll want to keep all of these areas clear if you wish to rid yourself of your cricket problem.
How to Get Rid of Crickets
With all this being said, what can you do to get rid of crickets in your home? Let’s take a look at a few of the best ways to rid your home of those unwanted pests:
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Bug Spray
One of the simplest options is also one of the most obvious. Bug spray or insecticide is highly effective at killing crickets and cricket eggs. Simply pick up an all-purpose spray or one that is especially designed to eradicate crickets and spray it in places where you’ve noticed infestations. Remember that these are generally warm, moist areas with tons of light.
Don’t forget to spray around windows, under doorframes, and near any other locations where crickets can come inside your home and lay eggs. You’ll want to keep these places saturated to discourage further infestation and help kill off the existing pests in those areas. Remember to follow the specific directions on the spray you choose (particularly if you have pets or small kids) so that you can get rid of crickets without issue.
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Molasses
Want to save money? Forget about bug spray and go with molasses. This DIY cricket trap is a cheap favorite and can be assembled in a matter of minutes. To kill crickets with molasses sticky traps, simply pour some of the liquid into a shallow bowl and set it in a cricket-dense area. It really is that simple! The sweet smell of the molasses will attract the crickets (and perhaps even some other creepy crawlers) around your house and stick them to the bowl. Once the bowl is full, simply dump it and start over.
This is a simple way to apply some household items to get rid of any unwanted pests around the home. Keep in mind that these sticky traps won’t work with deeper bowls, as the crickets will be unable to jump into the dish and stick to the molasses. Consider trying this in a variety of suspicious areas around the house for optimal cricket catching and perfect pest control.
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Chemical Bait
If you prefer a more scientific approach to ridding your home of that house cricket infestation, you may consider investing in some high-quality baits. These liquid traps are filled with the chemical goodies that crickets like and will have them running—er, jumping—over for a closer look. A chemical bait works by releasing scents that attract these pests and kills them instantly on contact.
How do you apply these highly effective baits? It’s simple. Pour some of the liquid (which can be obtained online and at hardware stores) into a shallow dish, much like you would with molasses. Be careful, though. Unlike the sweet DIY concoction above, a chemical bait can be poisonous, which means it can be harmful to children and pets—and you, if you somehow ingest it. You’ll want to isolate the family from the baited rooms for a while and make sure to follow all instructions so that you can stay safe and get those unwanted critters out of your home.
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Vacuuming
Sometimes, getting rid of those pesky crickets is as simple as doing a bit of housework. This effective method can be completed in a matter of minutes and is actually one of the best ways to get rid of cricket eggs. Simply find areas where you have identified your cricket situation and turn your vacuum cleaner on. Make sure to canvas your floors and other areas thoroughly, getting into crevices and leaving no areas untouched. You might have to apply yourself more than usual to make sure all nooks and crannies are clean. This technique is best used in conjunction with others on this list (just remember to use this technique first).
Importantly, we recommend not just stopping with a simple vacuum. As awful as it sounds, crickets and their eggs can actually live inside your vacuum cleaner and escape. In other words, that issue you thought you solved will ultimately come back. Therefore, we suggest killing the crickets once you’ve got them rounded up (and their eggs, too) or letting them loose a long way away from your home.
Want to make sure the crickets are gone long term? Vacuum regularly for at least a week or two so that you can get any pests that might still live with you.
Keeping Them Gone for Good
Of course, it’s not good enough to rid your house of crickets in the short term. Proper pest control involves making sure these bugs don’t show back up. If you want to keep your home free of crickets (and other bugs, too) for longer periods of time, you need to take some preventive action that can deter crickets from shacking up with you.
Cut Your Grass
We get it—cutting the grass can be a hassle, especially when it’s hot out. Still, keeping a trimmed lawn or field could be the difference between squeaky clean floors and your next home invasion. Crickets love stashing away in the comfort of tall grass, particularly in moist or warm places near your home. You’ll want to be extra careful to keep the areas around any drainpipes or gutters clean and dry, and you may even want to consider moving any plants a good way away from the immediate exterior of your home. By taking away a house cricket’s nesting area, you can discourage it from approaching your home—and making it his own. Be sure to take this step to reduce home damage and get your house back.
Close off Excess Entry Points
Cutting the grass is a good start, but it won’t save your home from a cricket infestation in and of itself. For extra protection, you’ll also want to seal off any excess entry points to your home. This could be gaps around your windows, in your foundation or floors, or anywhere else a pesky house cricket could sneak through into your home.
A good caulking can help you rid your house of unwanted crickets for the long haul, saving you time and money over the years.
Do Some Housework
You’ll also want to do some housework—of the tough variety. Have a leak somewhere? Fix it. Have moist areas under your sink or cracks in your flooring? Make sure these problems are solved pronto. By making your home airtight and dry, you can disincentivize cricket breeding there. You may even consider investing in a de-humidifier, which will remove moisture from the air and increase the likelihood that your house crickets will stay outside of your house.
If you have a porch, deck, or outside patio area, consider changing out the light there, as less intense electric light will draw in fewer crickets to your home. By making these necessary changes, you can keep those disgusting crickets you found out for good.
Stay Consistent with Your Laundry
This may sound trivial. After all, what does your dirty clothes hamper have to do with those disturbing crickets? As it turns out, perhaps a lot. Remember: crickets are attracted to fabrics, including cotton. This makes your dirty laundry a natural hiding place for them. It’s not uncommon for individuals facing cricket infestation to see holes eaten straight through their outfits as a result of the home invasion. This is only a small bit of the damage these bugs can do to your home.
You can make sure this doesn’t happen to you (and reduce the number of crickets inside your room) by keeping your laundry clean and put away. By keeping your clothes out of the hamper (or off the floor), you’ll be giving the crickets on your property less incentive to take their party indoors.
The Bottom Line
Having house crickets is as fun as it sounds—which is to say, not at all. If these tiny brown insects have invaded your home, you’ll want to do everything in your power to keep them outside. Blocking crickets from coming inside your home can make your home cleaner, safer, and more visually appealing—to say nothing of the noise.
If you’re looking for a way to get those annoying crickets out of your home for good, you’ve come to the right place. If you apply the foolproof tips in this guide, you’ll be able to get back your property, keep those crickets where they belong, and have your house under control again. Make sure to use this article to help you out of a touch spot!
Ronald has 25 years of pest control experience under his belt. He scrutinizes each control method, product and process to prevent infestations effectively.
