How to Identify Crickets

Crickets are interesting insects that can be found in many parts of the country during the warm months. Whether you want to keep a cricket as a pet or use crickets to feed another pet, you will need to know how to identify them or you just might end up with the wrong insect.

Things You'll Need

• Magnifying glass

Instructions

1. Look at the back legs. One of the main ways to identify crickets is by their long back legs. A crickets legs are so long that they are bent up in an upside down 'v' shape. The cricket uses these long powerful legs to jump great distances.

2. Look at the antennae. Crickets have extremely long antennae. The antennae of a cricket will be at least as long as its whole body and sometimes, depending on the species, even longer. If it doesn't have long antennae, it probably isn't a cricket.

3. Check the color. Crickets are normally brown, black, and sometimes gray. If the insect is green it might in fact be a katydid or a tree cricket or even a grasshopper. Cave crickets may have brown stripes.

4. Listen to the insect. A cricket makes a chirping noise that can be quite loud. Crickets chirp both at night and during the day. If your insect doesn't chirp, it doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't a cricket. Only the male crickets chirp in order to attract female crickets.