Discouraging house crickets from making themselves at home
House crickets are considered good pets in some countries, but for most people, these relatives of grasshoppers and locusts are just plain annoying. They may be less than an inch long and sport an unassuming gray or brown color, but they’re far from welcome guests in homes around Phoenix and Tucson.
A House Full of Crickets
Crickets can get inside when homes are being built and the structure is still mostly open. They might also hitch a ride on anything brought in from outdoors. If you keep reptilian pets, live house crickets may be their food of choice, and the insects don’t always stay put. However, when these pests wind up in the house, they’re likely to take up residence under the floorboards and start to chirp the moment the temperature rises. The hotter it gets, the louder they chirp as the males try to attract mates.
House crickets can also be destructive. They’ll eat paper, fabric and many different types of food. Clothes, carpeting and curtains may be left with holes or rough spots if you find yourself the target of a cricket invasion.
Repeating the Cycle
Once house crickets get in, they’re likely to stick around and raise a family. Females lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time in damp places, and these eggs hatch over the course of about two weeks. After two to three months, the young crickets mature and start to reproduce again. Nymphs are small and hard to see, so you might not notice the population growing until it starts to get out of control and the house is filled with an incessant chorus of nighttime chirping.
Stop Infestations Before They Start
Putting up barriers such as mesh screens on windows and vents can help prevent crickets from moving in. Check the exterior of your home for other points of entry and caulk them shut, or install weather stripping around doors and windows to close gaps. Keeping grass clippings, leaves, wood piles and other debris well away from the house removes potential habitats. You should also keep your gutters clean so that there’s no decaying matter for crickets to lay their eggs in.
If nothing you do seems to make your home less appealing to crickets, contact us at Burns Pest Elimination. Request a service estimate, and one of our trained technicians will evaluate the situation to determine the best course of action. Our comprehensive pest control services are designed to get rid of any critters that are bothering you and ensure that they don’t come back.
