Controlling & Exterminating Crickets

Although they seem harmless, crickets can do considerable damage to your lawn during the summer months. When crickets appear in large numbers, their constant feeding on foliage can begin to take a real toll. Most species are active at night, which is when you’ll most likely hear their characteristic chirping. Crickets can be found wherever there’s a bit of shelter, including under rocks, logs, and in tall grass. Mating season for these pests usually occurs during late summer. During this time, they’ll bury their eggs in the dirt where they’ll remain safe throughout the winter.

The eggs will hatch during the spring and summer of the next year, and the whole process will begin anew. This is a challenging time for homeowners because crickets will eat almost any organic material, including any plants you may have in your yard as well as beneficial insects. That said, they also serve as a food source for predators like centipedes and birds, ensuring a healthy ecosystem. In rural areas and on farms, crickets can be especially dangerous pests. They have a propensity to consume crops at an alarming rate, and can economically devastate an agricultural operation.

Crickets can sometimes find their way indoors and make their homes in hidden or inaccessible spaces, like the cavities inside walls. Once there, they can drive some homeowners crazy with their ceaseless chirping which can be aurally magnified by the walls of a home. Apart from their incredibly loud and grating chirping, crickets trapped inside homes often feed on clothing and carpeting, making them an economic threat as well.

As is the case with many different types of home and commercial pest control threats, a mixture of approaches and treatments is usually required to ensure that the infestation is taken care of. If the problem persists it may be a good idea to introduce predators of the cricket to your property, like cats, birds, or spiders, all of which will help to curtail the population of these insects.

Houston pest control professionals will also help to seal cracks in walls and foundations to ensure that more crickets can’t find their way inside your home in the future. These pests are most active during the summer months, and are attracted by garbage left outside and by electric lights, both of which can be found on the property of the average homeowner. Crickets resting on vertical surfaces like walls and light posts, especially during the summer, is not an uncommon sight.

During the winter, however, they will move from these exposed areas to sheds and crawlspaces because of the warmth and moisture they provide. It’s during this time that crickets will likely try to worm their way inside your home. They’ll be drawn by the warmth, light, and easy availability of many different food sources.

Cantu Pest & Termite is proud to be the first company in Texas to offer Cantu Green Services to our customers in search of a more prevention-based solution to their pest removal while minimizing the use of pesticides.

If crickets or other pests have made unwanted appearances around your home or business, call Cantu Pest & Termite and schedule an appointment today with one of our friendly, experienced cricket removal experts.