How to Rid Your Home of Crickets

What would summer be without the sound of chirping crickets? When the little beasts get into your house, however, they are likely to chow down on anything from your wallpaper glue to your cashmere sweater, so keeping them outside and away from your house is the best line of defense.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Crevice Tool Vacuum Attachments
• Portable Vacuums
• Screen Mesh
• Sticky Traps
• Cricket Baits

1. Modify your outdoor lighting. Instead of bright lights that attract insects, change to low-level yellow "bug" lights.

2. Seal any cracks in your house that allow penetration from the exterior, paying close attention to areas around doors and windows and openings such as dryer vents. Place screens or other barriers over any openings that you cannot seal.

3. Keep low-growing vegetation at least 12 inches away from the walls of your house. Crickets naturally congregate in moist, thick foliage, then find ways to migrate into the house.

4. Purchase a cricket bait at a home and garden store. Sprinkle it around the outside of your house as directed. You can use some cricket baits indoors, but be sure to read labels carefully before applying.

5. Use sticky traps to capture crickets without toxic chemicals. Crickets caught in this manner can be destroyed or flushed down the toilet.

6. Vacuum up crickets you see in the house. Suck up as many as possible, then kill or discard them.

7. Check the Internet for suggestions on types of cricket-control chemicals that you can sprinkle or spray around your home. Be sure to read all labels carefully before using.

8. Call a pest control company if you are unable to control a cricket infestation yourself.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have kids in the neighborhood who own lizards, snakes or other animals that eat crickets, consider pouring vacuumed-up crickets into a jar and passing them along to the lizard owner.
• There are several varieties of crickets in the United States. The most common (and most apt to get into your house) are the field cricket, the house cricket and the camel cricket.
• Most species of crickets require a moist environment, so lowering the humidity in your home or removing standing water, algae or mold will also help discourage crickets.
• Before you use any toxic pest control product, read the label carefully. Be especially wary if you have small children or pets in the home.

[Vette]

on 9/30/2008 "Anonymous", are you referring to Diatomaceous earth? It works really good on ridding your house of ants, but I haven't tried it on crickets. For those interested, check your local health food/organic store.

[DanielSelby]

on 8/5/2007 Some of us would like to get rid of these pests without killing them. Any ideas?

on 9/21/2007 Works great without chemicals, etc, for all crawling insects. The powder dehydrates them with tiny "shards" that cut them. It is sort of like getting the old glass type insulation all over you, but worse.

on 2/6/2006 Ordinary duct tape works great as a sticky trap for most types of crickets, including camel crickets. For some reason crickets are attracted to it. Place 12 inch strips, sticky side up, in inconspicuous locations within cricket infested areas. Make sure to check the strips often and throw away when full of crickets. It works great!

on 1/5/2006 I sprinkle Borax around the doors and window sills to keep out the crickets. Works like a charm.