House-Invading Crickets
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Field cricket. adult females have long, swordlike House cricket. The house ovipositors at the tip of their cricket (Acheta domesticus) is light abdomens for laying eggs in the yellowish-brown and has three soil. darker brown bands across the head Crickets will accidentally invade (Figure 2). The adult stage varies in homes, but only rarely will they length from 0.75 to 1 inch. During reproduce there. The usual point warm weather, house crickets can of entry is through open or poorly live outdoors and are especially 0 1 fitted doors, and cracks in doors, fond of garbage dumps. Approximate size in inches windows, foundations or siding. Like the field cricket, house Figure 2. House cricket. The factors that contribute to crickets are driven indoors by cool cricket invasions, and the damage temperatures. All stages are able to they cause, vary among cricket live in buildings year-round. Adults species. The most common house- are attracted to lights at night. invading crickets in Missouri are Inside buildings, house crickets field crickets Gryllus( spp.), house are normally found in warm, dark crickets (Acheta domesticus), ground places. They may damage items crickets (Nemobius fasciatus), camel such as cotton, linen, wool, silk and or cave crickets (Ceuthophilus spp.) fur — especially when these items 0 ⅜ Approximate size in inches and mole crickets (Neocurtilla are soiled by perspiration or food. Figure 3. Ground cricket. hexadactyla). Ground cricket. The ground cricket (Nemobius fasciatus) and possibly other species of the genus, Biology are very common in Missouri Field cricket. Several species in (Figure 3). They are dark reddish the genus Gryllus are called field brown to black and vary in length crickets (Figure 1). They are usually from 0.3 to 0.5 inch as adults. black and vary in length from 0.5 Ground crickets normally are to 1.25 inches. The brownish rear found outdoors, but lights and the ½ 0 1 wings project back beyond the warmth of buildings may cause Approximate size in inches front wings like pointed coat tails. large-scale indoor invasions. Figure 4. Camel cricket. Field crickets invade homes most Because of their small size, they often during the fall in response find it easier to gain entry than to cooler nighttime temperatures. other crickets. They may do They are also attracted to lights damage indoors similar to field at night, which often brings them crickets. The chirping sound of the male is more shrill and high- ½ Reviewed by pitched than that of field crickets. 0 1 Richard Houseman, Urban Entomology State Camel cricket. Most species Approximate size in inches Specialist, Division of Plant Sciences of camel crickets belong to the Figure 5. Mole cricket. extension.missouri.edu > home and consumer life > housing > home maintenance > pests > g7366 genus Ceuthophilus (Figure 4). This Management where crickets are suspected to be name describes their humpbacked Sanitation. Understanding cricket hiding. Spraying the air or applying appearance when viewed from the behavior is important if you want insecticides to large, exposed surfaces side. They have jumping hind legs and to minimize the risk of household is undesirable and mostly ineffective. long antennae like other crickets, but invasion. Remember that crickets Outdoor control. If you have they are wingless and so are unable to prefer to live in dark, protected eliminated outdoor cricket habitats chirp. Color varies by species, ranging locations behind or under objects and and repaired cricket entry points, but from light tan to brown, often with in cracks or crevices. They generally still have cricket invasions, insecticide dark brown bands on some segments. prefer cool, damp and dark habitats. treatments may be applied around the Adults range from 0.5 to 1.5 inches in Large populations may become perimeter of your home to create a length. established around buildings where barrier against cricket invasions. Bait Camel crickets are usually associated these conditions are present. Minimize treatments can be especially effective with cool, damp, dark habitats. cricket habitat near your home by when applied to the soil in a band Because they are often found in caves, eliminating rocks, stacked boards, between cricket habitats and the home. they are also commonly called cave firewood, overgrown vegetation, and Liquid insecticides can also be crickets. Outdoors, they may be found other types of clutter. applied to the foundation and soil under stones and logs and in other Most crickets are active at surface in areas of suspected cricket cool, damp habitats with suitable night. Field and house crickets are invasion. Create a treated zone amounts of organic matter, which they strongly attracted to lights, but mole covering an area starting one foot use for food. crickets are less so. To minimize the out from the foundation and ending Like other crickets, camel crickets attractiveness of your home to these one foot up from the soil surface. You will invade buildings in the fall seeking types of crickets, limit the use of should also apply the insecticide to suitable places to pass the winter. outdoor lighting, or use yellow lights, basement window wells, crawl space In these cases, they often remain in which are less attractive to insects vents, and weep holes in brick veneer. basements or crawl spaces and seldom than are white, neon or mercury vapor Sprays applied to bare concrete are damage items in the home. They are lights. Camel crickets are not attracted absorbed and are not likely to have usually considered a nuisance only by to lights. much of an effect on invading crickets. virtue of their presence. Cracks and crevices in and around In this case, a bait formulation is more Mole cricket. Mole crickets are the foundation are common openings effective. Never place baits and liquid abundant in the southeastern United that crickets use to gain entry into barriers together in the same zone. States, where several species are pests homes. They also enter buildings Various over-the-counter of turfgrass (Figure 5). The northern through open or poorly fitting doors, insecticides have been approved for mole cricket (Neocurtilla hexadactyla) windows and vents. Repairs that use in and around the house. Most of is found in Missouri and is usually eliminate these small openings will these are pyretrins and pyrethroids considered more of a curiosity than greatly minimize the risk of cricket (chemical names ending in –thrin). a pest. As the name implies, these invasions. Select insecticides that have crickets crickets look like moles. They are Indoor control. Because crickets listed on the label. Always follow label normally light brown and about 1.5 are large, they are easily captured or directions, especially with regard to inches long. They have beady eyes, and killed indoors. Crickets should always correct amounts and recommended their shovel-like front legs are short, be removed after killing them so they methods of application. Follow stout, and used for digging. don’t serve as a food source for other safety precautions closely, and use Mole crickets live underground, insects, such as ants or beetles. Vacuum recommended safety equipment. where they tunnel through the soil cleaners work well for removing living Remember that insecticide treatments and feed on plant roots. Unlike other and dead crickets indoors. Sticky traps are only temporary solutions. You may crickets, they are poor jumpers. They have also been used successfully to need to repeat this procedure after are also weak fliers, but they take to capture and kill crickets, especially the the insecticide barrier dissipates if the air when their tunnels are flooded. camel cricket. crickets continue to invade. You may It is during these times that they are Cricket baits are particularly also choose to hire a professional pest found walking across the ground effective when applied indoors. Other management company if the problem and may enter homes. Although they over-the-counter insecticides can also persists. look frightening, mole crickets are be used indoors if the label specifically not known to damage anything in the allows. Such insecticides should only Original author: Darryl Sanders home. be applied in cracks and crevices g7366 page 2 New 8/91; Revised 7/03; Reviewed 10/14; Reprinted 12/15/1M.