Crickets

House Crickets

General Information: The name house cricket comes from the fact that these crickets often enter houses where they can survive indefinitely. House crickets are nocturnal and usually hide in dark, warm places during the day. Male house crickets chirp and attract females by rubbing a scraper on the inner edge of the left wing against the teeth of a file beneath the right wing. Outside, crickets are attracted to bluish electric lights and can often be seen swarming near them in large numbers. They feed on plants and dead or live insects, including other crickets.
Habitat: During warm weather, house crickets typically live outdoors and can commonly be found in garbage dumps. With the approach of cold weather they seek shelter indoors, especially in places such as sheds and houses, seeking areas of moisture and fermentation.
Risks: When crickets find their way inside homes, they can damage clothing, carpeting and other fabrics including wool, cotton, silk, and synthetics. They can eat through large areas of fabric, and are especially attracted to clothes soiled with perspiration.

Prevention:

• Reduce or eliminate areas of moisture near your home by mowing lawns, weeding plant beds and removing woodpiles.
• Change outdoor lights to less attractive yellow bulbs or sodium vapor lamps. Properly screen windows and doors.
• Seal points of entry outside the home such as around doors and windows, near utility pipes and holes in masonry.

Cave Crickets

General Information: As their name implies, these crickets are commonly found in caves, although some species also dwell in cool, damp areas such as beneath rotten logs, damp leaves and stones. These cave crickets are pale in comparison to other species and are equipped with strong bristles on the back legs to enable digging.
Habitat: Cave crickets may move inside when their environment becomes too hot and dry. They are not usually capable of reproducing outside of their outdoor habitats and rarely find indoor locations that are dark and damp enough to suit them. However, should a cave cricket infestation become a problem in your home, it is important to locate and eliminate all possible breeding conditions.

Prevention:

• Remove piles of damp wood or leaves
• Basements/Crawlspaces should be kept ventilated and dry
• Screens on crawlspace vents can help keep crickets out