Crickets are insects that are distantly related to grasshoppers. They tend to come out in the late summer and early fall. These superstitious pests gravitate to warmth. They are usually found in kitchens and near other sources of heat like the water heater or furnace.
Once crickets get inside your home or business, they spread around the property and burrow into cracks and crevices along the walls, floors, and behind baseboards. So, what exactly do they look like? That’s a good question.
Here are some basic ways to identify crickets that may help you in your detection efforts:
- Size: Can range from one-half to one and one-half inches long
- Color: Ranges from yellowish-brown to dark brown or black
- Body: Antennae that are long, slender, and distinct
Some crickets have wings while others don’t. The crickets that do have wings are the ones that make those infamous chirping noises. Only males make the chirping noise in order to attract a female mate. They rub their wings together to create the sounds.
Take the typical house cricket, for instance. They appear more flattened than other grasshoppers because of the way they hold their wings over their bodies, which also makes them very skilled fliers. Other species that do not have wings have long, defined, large hind legs used for jumping from one place to another.
What Are The Consequences Of Cricket Activity?
Aside from the annoying chirping noises mentioned above, what else is it about crickets that we should be concerned with? Well, the fact is that, like many other pests, they reproduce rapidly. One cricket family can quickly grow into an unmanageable infestation that has taken over your life.
As they grow their populations and spread themselves throughout your property, it becomes more difficult to maintain the problem and detect the exact source of the infestation. A cricket infestation is dangerous on a variety of levels.
Listed below are some of the main problems caused by cricket activity on your property:
- They damage small houseplants.
- They can damage your wallpaper.
- They chew through and stain fabrics (curtains, clothing, furniture, etc.)
- They contaminate food and vulnerable surfaces.
- They damage personal property.
- They leave droppings around the house, which can spread disease.
What You Can Do To Minimize Your Exposure To Crickets
A pest infestation is a problem that can seem largely out of our control, and a lot of the time, it is. However, there are some preventative measures that you can take in order to avoid crickets.
Here are some helpful tips to help you with your cricket prevention efforts:
- Maintain proper storage and regularly remove garbage.
- Maintain well-trimmed landscaping, yard, and lawn.
- Mop, sweep, and vacuum your floors regularly.
- Reduce moisture around the home with proper ventilation.
- Seal up any cracks, crevices, and holes around the home.
- Store your food (including pet food) in sealed, airtight containers.
While these tips are helpful, none of them are entirely effective by themselves. Some DIY methods and tricks claim to exterminate crickets from your property effectively, but they seldom ever work. The only way to get the cricket control services you deserve is to secure ongoing services from the pros.
For the most effective, dependable, and lasting home pest control and commercial pest control solutions, contact the team of New Braunfels pest professionals at Pinnacle Pest Defense. Our team of certified experts can effectively deal with Texas crickets, and we know the proper treatments to help keep them off of your property moving forward.
Give us a call today to discuss your cricket control and prevention needs. We look forward to hearing from you.
