CRICKETS

Cricket outbreaks are one of the most predictable pest events of the year in most areas of Texas. Late summer and fall are when adult crickets become especially abundant around homes and commercial buildings. Although the cricket species associated with outbreaks in Texas have not been well-studied, most belong to the Gryllus assimilis complex and are collectively referred to as black field crickets, or field crickets.

Crickets can be a nuisance if left untreated.  Crickets once inside your home can survive indefinitely.  Crickets like warm weather, however, when the weather gets cold they begin to seek shelter inside homes and sheds because of the moisture and warmth they provide.  Now crickets do not pose a health risk to humans but the can damage household goods when they feed.  Treating for crickets before they become a problem can save you many sleepless nights and money in the long run.      

KNOW WHAT’S BUGGING YOU

What do they look like? 

Size: Varies, 16mm – 2.5 cm

Color: Varies,  light yellowish-brown for house crickets to brown or black for field crickets

What are its identifying characteristics?

Crickets have round heads with long antennae.  Their hind legs have enlarged thighs, providing power for jumping.  Crickets have front wings that are tough and leathery.  Some crickets uses these wings to chirp by rubbing them together

Field cricket eggs are laid in the fall, approximately two weeks after females mature and develop wings. Firm, bare soil sites are preferred for egg-laying. A single female cricket may lay from 150-400 eggs. Eggs remain in the soil throughout the winter and hatch the following spring.

What does it eat? 

Crickets can feed on many different types of food.  From flowers and grasses to larvae and molting insects.  Some have been known to feed on decaying plants and fungi.  They have also been successful at surviving on ground commercial dog food.

 

Where does it hide?

Crickets can live in many different habitats.  Crickets have been known to live in the upper tree canopy, bushes, grasses and herbs, in caves or deep burrows, in rotting wood and some species can run and jump over the surface of water.

What can it do to me?

Depending on your business or where you live crickets can have a number of different effects of you life.  Due to their chirping crickets can affect your sleep.  For farmers, crickets can destroy agricultural communities by feeding on crops and seedlings.  If inside your home crickets can feed on fabrics, which means they can destroy clothing, tapestries, bedding and other house hold linens.  Some crickets have even been known to bite.

Damage Caused by Crickets

Field crickets are primarily outdoor insects, and as such are only accidental indoor invaders. Nevertheless, they can become a considerable household nuisance when abundant. Unlike house crickets (the species commonly sold in stores as pet food), field crickets do not breed indoors or establish permanent indoor infestations.

Indoors, crickets may damage clothing, drapes or wall coverings with staining from feces or vomitus, or by their feeding activities. Although crickets do not normally feed on fabrics, soiled clothing or clothes stained with perspiration may be damaged by crickets.

During severe outbreaks crickets can create an aesthetically unacceptable situation around places of business. Dead crickets quickly pile up, causing odors; and many people are repelled by the sight of large numbers of crickets on walls and sidewalks around offices and stores.

TREATMENT

Call us. Let us assess your situation.  With the proper treatment and chemicals we can get your situation under control and eliminate the Cricket problem in your environment. 

Contact LONESTAR Pest Solutions for an inspection.