Their iconic sound might be used to indicate boredom or a lackluster response, but crickets are not a boring problem. They are more common than you might think, and crickets can cause some bigger problems for your property than just their annoying chirping. Learn how you can prevent cricket populations and act responsibly to remove them.
What To Know About Crickets
Crickets are some of the most misunderstood pests. For one, most people don’t realize that it’s actually only the males that make the tell-tale chirping noises. It’s a mating call to females, which they make by rubbing the comb-like barbs on their rear legs together. While you’re more likely to hear them than see them because crickets are nocturnal and stick to the shadows, here are some physical traits you can use to tell a cricket from other insects:
- Size: While house crickets are typically much smaller than their larger cousins, grasshoppers, they can grow to a couple of inches in length.
- Color: Crickets are often brown or tan in color, though some have black or green spots and other markings.
- Legs: A cricket’s most discerning feature from most other insects are their massive rear legs that allow them to leap great distances. They are jointed upwards, causing them to stick up into points when stationary.
The Problems Crickets Cause
Crickets can be thought of as pleasant additions to rustic scenery. Their chirping noises in the background of a summer night can be enjoyable and relaxing. However, once you’ve dealt with a cricket infestation inside your house, you’ll realize that they are unwanted. Here are some of the worst problems crickets can cause:
- Sound: The constant trilling of crickets can quickly become irritating, especially when a large group of males is making their mating calls right outside your bedroom window at night, or, worse, inside your wall voids.
- Damage: Crickets eat fibers and fabrics that provide them with nutritious keratin. This includes common household items like furniture upholstery and curtains.
- Disease: Crickets are known to carry and spread dangerous diseases, like salmonella and e. Coli. Crickets are large enough that they can actually be carriers of small parasites, like ticks and fleas, too.
Cricket Prevention For Your Home
To avoid the above problems, take action against cricket populations before they invade your property. To do that, follow some of these simple steps:
- Landscaping: Crickets like to hide in tall grasses or shrubs, so keeping your yard trimmed down to manageable lengths will provide them with fewer safe havens.
- Moisture control: Crickets are attracted to moist areas, so proper pipe maintenance and installation of vents throughout your property is crucial.
- Treatments: The proven way to ward off crickets and all kinds of invasive pests is with ongoing, seasonal treatments from pest professionals.
The Best Pest Control Comes From Pros
Crickets aren’t pests you want to actually encounter before you take them seriously as destructive and dangerous invaders. Not only can they lead to more serious problems, but they are also incredibly hard to get rid of. To make sure your property stays cricket-free, turn to White Knight Pest Control for proven prevention and timely removal. Contact us right away to get started on an inspection of your property. Not only can this help determine if pests are already there, it can help you tailor prevention methods to your property, ensuring that crickets are never a problem in the future.
Don’t let your property become overrun with house crickets, contact White Knight Pest Control today.