Crickets are more than just night musicians. The invasion of these insects negatively affects the garden harvest. Particularly at risk are beds with: potatoes, tomatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, beans, beets and corn. Crickets also spoil wheat and tobacco crops. Pests gnaw the stems or leaves of such plants directly from the root system.
In addition to the fact that crickets destroy the work of summer residents, they can settle in country houses or country houses. Insects crawl through cracks, windows and doors. They are installed in basements, bathrooms, toilets and other “secluded” and dark corners.
Preventive measures
To prevent the proliferation of crickets in a country house, you need to ensure a normal level of humidity. Ventilate the premises and keep them as dry as possible.
How to get rid of it?
Strong chemicals are used to exterminate insects. They spray the garden, garden beds or (if necessary) rooms in a country house. For this purpose, use a solution of karbofos (3-6 grams of the substance is diluted in 5 liters) or a solution of decis (take 1.5 milliliters of the product per 5 liters of water). Poisoned baits are laid out in places where crickets are located.
In practice, Delicia baits in the form of granules or gel have performed well. To destroy adults and larvae, biocontrol drugs “Nemabakt” and “Antonem-F” are used. Treatment of the site or housing should be carried out during the growing season.
The most popular remedy in the fight against crickets is traditional dichlorvos. True, after treating the premises with it, you need to thoroughly ventilate the house and not allow household members and pets into it. Such a product is unlikely to be suitable for treating a summer cottage.
It is very difficult to get rid of crickets, since there are practically no specialized means to combat these insects, while it is almost impossible to use crickets with compounds designed to combat domestic insects, such as ants and, for example. The fight against these insects can be made effective; there are several ways to get rid of them.
1. Catch a cricket
As you know, crickets cause the most disturbance to apartment residents due to the sounds they make at night. However, crickets not only sing, but also actively move. If there is only one cricket living in the house, the easiest way to get rid of it is to kill it in the dark.
2. Create conditions that are far from natural
Crickets live in conditions of high humidity, which is why in apartments they most often live in bathrooms, since it is here that the conditions are as close as possible to the natural environment for crickets. If conditions change and the bathroom, or any other room in which the cricket has settled, becomes very dry, the insect will have to find a new habitat, or it will simply die due to lack of moisture. Fighting crickets using dryness is quite simple; in addition, this method allows you to get rid of the insect quickly enough without the risk of harming the health of humans or animals living in this apartment.
3. Chemical attack
Some insect control chemicals are known to be very effective and can be your best bet in controlling crickets. However, this method should be used only if a family of crickets has settled in the house and it is simply impossible to get rid of them by other methods. However, when using toxic products, such as Dichlorvos, for example, it is worth remembering that they are dangerous for people and pets, and are also very toxic. That is why, when using this method, you should take care not to stay in the treated apartment for at least 24 hours, and after that ensure the housing is thoroughly ventilated.
It is difficult to get rid of crickets, largely because even specialized pest control services do not clean your home of these insects. However, it is always worth remembering that the methods described above for combating crickets are very effective, although extremely simple, with their help you can even clear your house of crickets in a short time, as well as prevent their further appearance in your home.
One or two crickets that appear in the house are generally considered harmless. But if they decide to set up a nest in your home and begin to actively reproduce, then this scenario does not bode well. Your things will suffer from such proximity: clothes, paper supplies, furniture, and sometimes even walls. But it is quite possible to prevent an invasion and preserve property. And then we will tell you how to get rid of crickets in the house and prevent them from reappearing.
Folk signs associate the appearance of a cricket in the house exclusively with positive events, but nothing good can be expected when meeting an entire army of these insects
Cricket in the house
There can be two types of crickets in an apartment: field or house crickets. Representatives of the latter species got their name due to their habitats - this is the territory in close proximity to residential buildings and inside them. If it’s warm outside, insects live in the wild, and with the onset of cold weather, when searching for and obtaining food becomes especially difficult, they move into cozy residential buildings. As for field crickets, they live mainly on the street, but sometimes they can settle in an apartment.
On a note! Residents of the first floors and owners of small private houses suffer the most from the invasion of crickets!
Insects enter houses through small cracks in walls and floors or simply jump into open windows and vents. Since they prefer to lead a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle, it is almost impossible to meet uninvited guests during the day. They emerge from their hiding places only after dark and immediately go in search of food.
Where do crickets live and what do they eat in residential buildings?
A humid environment is the most favorable for crickets, so once they get into an apartment, they will definitely try to find a similar place. As a result, their accumulations in most cases are found in bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, closer to leaking pipes or other areas where it is always damp.
On a note! In multi-storey buildings, these insects can settle in damp basements, and they will visit apartments only in search of food.
In houses and apartments, crickets feed on:
- the food you left on the table and the leftovers on the dishes in the sink;
- food in the pantry or trimmings in the trash;
- crickets, like moths, can damage clothing and upholstery;
- sometimes they even chew wallpaper and other paper products.
Using cricket traps
Crickets can be caught mechanically. You just have to do this at night, since during the daytime they always hide in secluded places. When darkness falls, insects can be detected by the sounds they usually make when awake. However, remember that their hearing is very acute and in most cases the pests will be able to hide even before you get close to them.
Catching crickets is much easier with the help of special devices. The first option is to use sticky traps. They need to be placed in areas where you think crickets live. When moving, insects will stick to the adhesive surface and will no longer be able to tear themselves away from it.
The second type of trap is liquid. The aroma of molasses is very attractive to crickets. This product must be poured into deep plates, water added so that the total volume of liquid in each container is half its volume, and placed in the room where the crickets live. Insects, sensing the characteristic odor, will jump into the plates. All you have to do is change their contents every morning.
We create conditions that are unacceptable for insects to live in.
Since it is often quite difficult to get rid of crickets, in parallel with the use of traps, it is necessary to create conditions in the apartment that are unsuitable for its existence.
First you need to get rid of dampness by reducing the humidity level in all rooms, paying special attention to the one where the crickets live - usually the bathroom. When conditions change, insects will immediately rush in search of more comfortable places. If they do not have the opportunity to leave the dry room, then after some time the pests will die.
On a note! When the number of cricket colonies is small, this simple method almost always works flawlessly!
We use chemicals
If the methods described above do not give positive results, then in this case you will have to resort to the help of chemicals. However, remember that you need to work with them with extreme caution, since the substances included in their composition can cause harm to both your health and the health of your pets.
To kill crickets, you can use any insecticide for domestic insects.
On a note! As practice shows, Dichlorvos copes best with the invasion of crickets!
Before using the drug, all household members and pets should be removed from the room; it is also advisable to move the plants to another room or take them out to the balcony. Close all windows and doors and spray the product. It is especially necessary to treat secluded places: baseboards, corners, cracks, etc. Then the handler should leave the room and wash their hands thoroughly. After the time specified in the instructions, the room is thoroughly ventilated and wet cleaned.
If crickets live with you for a long time, then they probably have time to lay eggs. And in order to destroy the new generation, the chemical treatment of the apartment will have to be repeated one or two more times with an interval of two weeks.
Prevention
To ensure that crickets never return to your home, you must:
- carefully inspect all rooms and premises for cracks and other openings through which insects can get through and seal them properly;
- hang bird feeders on the porch and windows - they are natural enemies of crickets, and therefore the latter will avoid birdhouses;
- A compost pit located near your home may be attractive to these insects - it must be moved further away;
- It is advisable to change the bright light bulbs that illuminate the porch to less powerful ones - this will prevent the accumulation of crickets near your house at night;
- do not allow dampness to appear in the premises and try to always monitor the humidity level;
- crickets usually make their nests in thickets of grass, for this reason all climbing and tall vegetation growing in the immediate vicinity of the house must be removed - make sure that the lawn is always trimmed;
- Regularly clean drains and gutters of fallen leaves and other plant debris.
Thanks to these simple measures, your home and the area around it will always be clean and well-groomed, and therefore unattractive to crickets.
The field cricket is an insect known for its chirping sound. It can usually be found in fields and on sunny edges of forests. The cricket lives a very short but eventful life, full of constant search for food, severe struggle with its own relatives and searches for the other half for procreation, which force it to emit ringing trills. Sometimes it appears in the garden and even in the house.
General description of the species
The field cricket belongs to the large family of crickets, which are representatives of orthopteran insects. The body length of this species is quite small - 17–23 cm, while males are noticeably larger than females. Insects have a dense body and a large head that stands out noticeably. The color of the field cricket is predominantly black. Individuals of brown shades are rarely found. The lower part of the abdomen is often colored brown, almost red. The entire body is enclosed in a chitinous shell.
The field cricket loves to bask in the sun
These insects cannot fly because the very small size of their front wings does not allow them to do so. But they have three pairs of legs, which ensure the rapid movement of the cricket along the ground and leaves of plants. But they jump poorly. The sound apparatus is identical to that of grasshoppers, but has a more complex structure.
The jaws, which biologists call mandibles, are quite well developed and powerful, which allows crickets to feed on a wide variety of foods. In their search, their antennae are very helpful, providing an excellent sense of smell over long distances. Other sense organs are also well developed, so the cricket has excellent vision and touch.
The total life expectancy is up to 15 months, taking into account all stages of development and wintering, while an adult lives for a very short time - from 90 to 120 days.
The exception is crickets that live in tropical climates. There are long-livers aged 5–7 months.
The peculiarity of the cricket is its ringing “singing”, more like chirping, which occurs with the help of hard elytra. The insect rubs them against each other, making a characteristic sound. A cricket can sing for a very long time, and this process does not depend on the time of day. Sometimes the “concerts” go on all night long. But, barely noticing the danger, the cricket stops its trill, hastening to take refuge in its earthen hole.
Life of a Field Cricket
The habitat of this black cricket is quite large. Its representatives live mainly in Central and Southern Europe, in the north of the African continent, in Western and Asia Minor. Field crickets love sunlight, so they choose warm fields, light forests and their warm edges, and wide clearings for living.
The uniqueness of crickets lies in their constancy in choosing a place to live. This is the only insect of all that lives in the nest it builds throughout its entire adult life, albeit a very short one. To do this, the field cricket digs holes in the soil, reaching a length of 10 to 20 cm. The diameter of the underground dwelling is about 1 cm. It becomes the only shelter and protection for the insect, so individuals never move far from the hole they dug. At the same time, crickets are very timid, and quickly hide underground at any alarm. This can be explained by the abundance of enemies: a variety of birds, lizards and even small mammals.
Fights with their relatives occupy a special place in the life of a field cricket. These are very aggressive insects that defend their territory to the last, and fights often end in the death of one of the participants. During the fight, the cricket actively uses its main weapon - powerful jaws, biting the enemy. Losing whiskers and paws during such a confrontation is not uncommon. At the same time, the crickets collide their foreheads like bulls, suddenly jump on the enemy, and hit him with their limbs. The defeated individual usually becomes the winner's lunch.
Nutrition
Crickets are truly omnivorous, although they prefer food of plant origin. They feed on almost everything that can be found: in the larval and adult stages, the insect eats the above-ground parts of plants and even roots. Adults are not averse to feasting on other insects that they can defeat. Cannibalism flourishes among crickets: they not only eat weaker representatives of their species, but also destroy egg clutches made by females.
Reproduction
The field cricket prefers a solitary lifestyle. Each adult has its own territory, which it protects from other relatives. “Cohabitation” is possible only if the owner of the site is a male: he allows several females to join him.
To attract females, the cricket uses its acoustic communication skills. After reaching sexual maturity, males gain the ability to emit special signals. They perform three roles: to attract the attention of females from neighboring territories, a sign of attention to her during the courtship period, and a warning with a threat to other males living nearby.
When breeding time comes, the male continues to sit near his burrow. Rubbing its small wings, it begins to chirp, which serves as a signal for females. Even if a field cricket finds itself without its other half, it does not leave the area near its burrow. If the meeting takes place, then soon the female lays a clutch containing about 30 eggs. In total, she can save about 500 in her life.
The laying process itself occurs with the help of a special organ characteristic of arthropods - the ovipositor. The cricket sticks it into the soil. After 14–30 days, the larvae appear. Their appearance already vaguely resembles an adult insect. At the same time, at first the larvae from the clutch try to stay close to each other. The cricket's desire to live as a solitary animal makes itself felt only after three molts. These insects do not have a pupal phase.
As the weather gets colder, young crickets spread out to the sides, starting to prepare their own burrow to spend the winter. They will now come to the surface only in the spring, when the surface of the earth is warmed by the sun's rays and the air temperature becomes at least 4°C. After this, another molt begins, at the end of which the individual becomes an adult and is ready to reproduce.
The appearance of a cricket on the site - benefit or harm?
Crickets in the garden are dangerous due to their omnivorous nature. On the one hand, it can be beneficial because it feeds on other insect pests. But on the other hand, the harm from its eating crops is much greater, because the field cricket prefers plant foods in its diet. As a result, it gnaws at almost all planted plants, from tender seedlings to potatoes.
Other members of the family - stem crickets, which are also called “trumpets” - cause great damage to grape plantings.
Ways to get rid of crickets
If crickets have taken a fancy to the garden and are harming the plants in it, you need to start fighting them. Natural enemies of insects are birds and snakes, which destroy adults and even larvae. Therefore, you can place feeders on the site and regularly pour food into them for the birds.
For prevention purposes, every spring and autumn the ground must be dug up, destroying cricket larvae. It is also necessary to remove all construction and household waste that can be used by insects as shelter for the winter.
If crickets pose a big threat to the future harvest, then you can resort to special insecticidal preparations:
- Solutions of Karbofos (about 5 g of product per 5 liters of water) or Decis (3 ml per 10 liters) are suitable for spraying the soil. It is easy to treat the beds using a garden sprayer. It is important that a person follows safety precautions. A respirator will help prevent potent substances from entering the respiratory tract. These drugs have moderate toxicity, but can still cause poisoning.
- Ecologically safe biological drug "Nemabakt". It is diluted in water in accordance with the concentration specified in the instructions. The best time to apply is early morning or late evening, when the sun has almost disappeared below the horizon. Rain or watering will provide additional benefit by ensuring that the product penetrates the soil.
- "Antonem-F" is another biological drug effective against crickets.
- The bait "Delicia" with an attractive smell for insects and toxic substances in its composition destroys many pests, including crickets. It can also be used indoors. But those in whose areas children and pets walk need to be careful.
When using chemicals, field crickets die within 1–5 days. But the disadvantages of this method of fighting insects are possible harm to humans and the accumulation of toxic substances in vegetables or fruits. Therefore, treatment cannot be carried out more than 2 times per season, and no later than 2 weeks before harvest. The exact restrictions depend on the degree of toxicity and composition of each drug and are indicated in the instructions for use for it. Biological drugs act more slowly - the crickets will disappear within a month. But they are completely safe for human health and the environment.
The field cricket is an inconspicuous insect that gives itself away with its chirping trills. In the wild it is in harmonious balance with the natural environment, but when it appears in the garden it feeds on plantings.
In order to understand how to get rid of a cricket, you first need to recognize the “enemy in person.” So, a cricket is a jumping insect with two wings that lives mainly in humid climates. Crickets are often confused with grasshoppers due to the similarity of their “chirping” sounds. However, there are several ways to distinguish them:
- By size (grasshoppers are larger);
- By color (grasshoppers are often green or gray, crickets are light yellow and brown).
Crickets feed on small insects and plants. They often “chirp” in the dark, but like grasshoppers - in the light. Crickets are divided into two types: field and house crickets. They live in meadows, fields, farms and industrial premises, basements, country houses, respectively. The optimal temperature for these insects is 30-35 degrees, and at 20 degrees or less they fall into an apathetic state and stop eating and reproducing.
Why get rid of them?
The biggest problems are associated with house crickets, since in cold weather they move to warm rooms and disturb their owners with their chirping. Another reason why it is advisable to get rid of crickets is unsanitary conditions, which immediately appear due to insects in the house. They can also damage furniture and wallpaper in the house.
In addition to these reasons, there are certain signs associated with the appearance of these insects in the house. Although they vary, we can highlight the main “dangers” that cricket tenants may face:
- A cricket flying around the house means a fire;
- Flew away from home - to grief or illness;
- Stopped chirping - to poverty or illness;
- Started chirping during the day - to a quarrel;
- Noticing a white insect means death.
All signs agree that a cricket can promise bad luck, but under no circumstances should you kill the insect, you can only catch it and take it outside, otherwise you will have to expect bad news.
Methods for getting rid of crickets
Insects are one of those creatures that are quite difficult to get rid of, because they are “tenacious” and never neglect the opportunity to have offspring. All methods of breeding crickets are divided into types depending on the habitat of the insects:
- in the house;
- greenhouse;
- apartment;
- bath;
- car;
- vegetable garden
How to get rid of crickets in a private house
In this case, there are two methods of control: chemicals and traps. Of course, the first can be discarded if the owners are against the use of various harmful substances or there are children and pets in the house, and the second is not suitable for those who want to do everything faster and less troublesome.
Chemical method
The method will not cause much trouble. First you need to choose a poison. In this case, you should take into account whether the crickets had time to lay eggs (there are special sprays that fight them as well).
The most popular substances are those based on dichlorvos, since it is both safe for humans and effective. You can also purchase poisons from insects in general, and not just from crickets. There are specific features of the use of each product, but a universal trajectory of actions after purchase can be identified:
- Close doors and windows.
- Shake the substance.
- Spray 30-35 cm from the surface on all places where pests were noticed.
- Ventilate the room and carry out wet cleaning.
In this case, the use of protective glasses and a respirator is mandatory. Animals and children should be kept away from chemicals. Repeated treatment should be carried out after one and a half to two months in order to neutralize the crickets that appeared during this time from previously laid eggs. When processing, special attention should be paid to baseboards and the spaces between the floor and walls. These places are inaccessible to humans, and, often, the inhabitants of these particular zones survive after all their efforts.
Traps
The method is more troublesome, but safe. All types of traps differ, perhaps, only in the complexity of their manufacture. The following options are effective:
- Strips with glue. Making them is simple: cut paper and cover it with any adhesive substance. It is better to place it on windows, near walls and doors, as well as in damp and warm places;
- Bowl of water. Place a medium-deep bowl (or similar container) with water and molasses in a warm, damp place; The latter will attract the crickets, after which they will not drown in the container. The bait needs to be changed periodically and the bowl cleaned;
- Trap pit. In a glass you need to mix milk, sugar, corn flakes and alcohol. The pleasant smell of food will lure insects, and the evaporation of alcohol will complete the job;
- Animals. Pets eat not only special food, but also small insects. Therefore, a cat or bird can become reliable helpers in the fight against crickets 😉;
- Sealing wax (colored fusible mixture). It is enough to simply light it, and the crickets will leave the house themselves, because they cannot stand this smoke;
- If there are not many crickets in the house, you can simply catch them in a jar and take them away from the house.
How to get rid of crickets in an apartment
Most often, crickets appear on the first and second floors of high-rise buildings, forcing residents to frantically recognize , how to get rid of crickets in the house forever. It’s not difficult - you can use both methods for a private home and several others:
- Create uncomfortable conditions. Crickets prefer a warm and humid environment, but if you turn it into a dry and cold environment, they will either leave the apartment or die;
- If insects enter the room from the basement, all cracks must be eliminated. This also applies to windows and doors;
- The simplest method is to invite exterminators.
How to get rid of crickets in a greenhouse, garden or plot
To the question “how to get rid of crickets in the garden or greenhouse?” The answer is clear: not by chemical methods, as they will harm the harvest. It is better to use traps or traditional methods:
- Pollinate the plants with a mixture of red pepper and tobacco dust;
- Pour sugar syrup into the kettle at the bottom and leave in the greenhouse;
- Bury a bottle of draft beer in a greenhouse or garden. The neck should stick out a little from the ground. The crickets will run into the bottle, after which they are easy to take out;
- Make a strong decoction of wormwood, dilute it with water in a ratio of 1 to 4 and water the ground. After two days, loosen the soil and water again;
- Spread the wormwood between the beds.
How to get rid of crickets in a bathhouse
A cricket in a bathhouse is a situation similar to the options already discussed, when a house cricket settled in a house or apartment. How to get rid of it is a simple question: you can use all of the above methods without exception.
How to get rid of crickets in a car
Crickets in a car are a rare occurrence, and most often there are only one or two insects in a car. The easiest way is to catch them one by one or simply open the windows and doors so that they fly away on their own. In this regard, the topic - how to get rid of crickets in a car - is quite simple. The only possible problem is that the living creature has laid eggs, which in itself is unlikely. But still: in this case, it is best to use chemicals, since driving with eggs is unpleasant, and cleaning absolutely everything is a difficult task.
Most often they start in ceiling lamps - where it’s warm, here’s a video on the topic
How to get rid of cricket eggs
There are three methods:
- Destroy the eggs along with the crickets with chemicals;
- Do not destroy the eggs first, but re-treat them after a new “batch” of insects appears;
- Vacuum the apartment thoroughly, especially in hard-to-reach places, after installing a high-throughput nozzle.
conclusions
If insects appear in the house, they need to be exterminated immediately, since this will become more and more difficult every day. When choosing a method of control, you need to take into account exactly where the crickets appeared. After the initial cleansing of the space, you must make sure that there are no eggs, otherwise they must also be destroyed immediately.
