Pest and Diseases

How To Get Rid Of Crickets In Your House

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Crickets are very well known for their irritating sounds every now and then, and they can be super annoying. They also feed on fabrics, paper, and sometimes even plants.

While crickets are not harmful to humans, allowing them to stay with you invites a bigger problem to your home. If left free, they start multiplying quickly and causing big trouble. It is a minor problem that irritates you and could grow bigger in no time. Here's how you can get rid of them:

1. Use Sticky Traps

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Sticky traps are coated with adhesive and capture crickets when they walk over them. Once the insects are stuck on these tapes, they cannot escape. Immobilizing the insects helps prevent further damage and control populations by preventing them from moving or reproducing.

You can place the traps where crickets are often seen - or heard but keep them away from pets and children as they are choking hazards.

Some may contain chemicals that could be harmful if ingested. While effective, sticky traps work best when combined with other methods like sealing entry points and reducing moisture. They might not eliminate all crickets alone, but they are effective in getting rid of crickets to a certain extent. 

2. Place Diatomaceous Earth

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If you are wondering how to get rid of crickets in your yard, we present you with diatomaceous earth - one of the best solutions. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a fine, natural powder that comes from algae called diatoms.

DE has lots of miniature glass-like silica that pierces insects' bodies, causing them to dehydrate and die. For cricket control in your yard, apply a thin layer of DE in places where crickets are commonly found: garden beds, under rocks, and any damp or dark areas. Apply during dry weather as moisture can lessen its effectiveness, and reapply after rain.

3. Cricket Baits

Cricket bait is a specialized pest control product designed to bring crickets out to be killed. It typically consists of an attractive food source impregnated with a slow-acting poison. When the cricket consumes the bait, it ingests the poison and kills it over time.

This is a slow-acting poison that allows crickets to return to their nests and distribute the bait to other crickets, thereby helping to eliminate large infestations. The cricket baits should be placed along baseboards, in dark corners, behind appliances, and near entry points where cricket infestation is found.

4. Insecticide Sprays

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Insect sprays are potent ways of eliminating crickets from houses and yards. Such sprays incorporate chemicals that kill crickets upon contact, leaving a residue that controls future development rather effectively.

Usage Directions: Spray insecticide around places where cricket infestations are generally found. These may include baseboards, corners, behind appliances, and entry points into your house or room, such as around doors and windows. If applying outdoors, sprinkle along garden beds, around the perimeter of the house, and other damp, dark areas.

The downside of these sprays is that they are not eco-friendly, so less toxic alternatives like diatomaceous earth should be preferred.

5. Vacuuming

Another effective eradication method of the crickets is house vacuuming. It will remove them physically together with their eggs. If you are able to vacuum frequently, then it will be easy to reduce the number of crickets which hide in those areas where they will reproduce.

When vacuuming, carpets, rugs, and all the cracks and joints that are home to these crickets are also supposed to be vacuumed. It may be done on a weekly basis or more often if there is already an outbreak in a particular area.

6. Seal Cracks and Gaps

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Sealing the cracks and crevices of your home's walls, floor, doors, and windows will help minimize invasion by crickets in your home. This is because normally, crickets find their way into homes through certain small cracks that even one of them cannot fit in.

Go through your house, checking any cracks and gaps around pipes, ventilation, and windows, and then fill those areas with either silicone caulk or weatherstripping.

You have to be very careful with areas around the doors and windows, any space in the foundation, or siding. This one method alone helps rid crickets from the house and is very easy to execute.

7. Reduce Outdoor Lighting

Reducing outdoor lighting can help get rid of crickets by minimizing their attraction to illuminated areas. Crickets are naturally drawn to light, mistaking it for moonlight, which they use for navigation and communication.

To reduce outdoor lighting, consider using motion sensor lights that only activate when needed or switching to yellow or sodium vapor lights, which are less attractive to insects. Position lights away from entrances and windows, and ensure curtains or blinds are closed at night to further reduce indoor light visibility from outside.

By minimizing artificial light sources, especially during peak cricket activity times like dusk and nightfall, you can discourage crickets from congregating near your home and reduce their presence and potential for indoor entry.

8. Remove Debris

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Removing wood, leaves, and other debris eliminates sites where the cricket would hide and multiply. Crickets love dark humid areas; therefore, removing any piles of wood or debris gives them less places to set up residence.

As a cricket population reduction method, periodically monitor and clean your yard. Eliminate piles of firewood, fallen leaves, grass clippings, and other organic materials. Further to that, keep the firewood at least 20 feet away from your home and pile off from the ground.

9. Moisture Control

Crickets are hygroscopic insects, hence they find ideal resting and nesting areas in humid environments. Therefore, eliminating leaks and dampness in your house eliminates the cricket's ideal environment.

Quick fixing of pipe, faucet, and roofing leaks reduces moisture. Operating a dehumidifier in humid areas such as basements, bathrooms, and kitchens is also good. Allow for proper ventilation by using the exhaust fans and opening windows from time to time if the weather permits.

10. Peppermint Oil

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Peppermint oil is another effective solution that helps in eliminating crickets, as this strong - smelling oil is hated by these tiny insects. Using peppermint oil does not only keep the crickets away but also gives your house a fresh, pleasant smell.

You should mix 10-15 drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle of water. Shake it well, then spray around the entry points like a door, window, along baseboards, corners, behind furniture, and other areas where crickets usually can be spotted.

Do not forget to reapply the spray every few days or after cleaning. 

11. Soap and Water Solution

Well, soap and water are always handy when controlling pests. You just need to create a mixture of soap and water and apply it directly on crickets. By doing so, it suffocates them and disrupts their cell membranes. It might be gruesome for them, but it really helps.

To make this solution, mix a few drops of dish soap with water in a spray bottle – and do not forget to shake well. When you spot crickets, spray the mixture directly onto them.

12. Boric Acid

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This is a natural compound derived from a substance known as boron, which many people use as an insecticide. It results in the elimination of crickets simply because it is an active stomach poison.

When the cricket consumes this component, it would mean the digestive systems of these insects are destroyed and therefore they die.

To apply boric acid for cricket control, lay a thin layer of the powder along baseboards, corners, behind appliances, and at entry points. Apply it carefully in dry areas to be effective.

13. Neem Oil

Neem oil is derived from the neem tree and has been used in agriculture and medicine for thousands of years. Some neem oil types act against fungi and insect pests, while others are specifically designed against insects alone.

It is always a good idea to check the product label to confirm use to control cricket infestation. Products containing neem oil that can be used on plants may be "ready to use" and in spray bottles or "concentrate" intended to be mixed with water and dish soap before application.

To use neem oil, it must be first diluted from its concentrated form and then applied using a spray bottle. It kills the insects by suffocation or disrupts their feeding habit.

14. Predatory Animals

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Not all the animals visiting your home and yard are harmful; most have beneficial roles that will help keep your home and yard healthy. The predatory animals will offer a natural pest control for crickets and other pests.

Birds such as robins and sparrows, garden lizards and geckos, various spiders, frogs, and mammals such as shrews and mice hunt and feed on crickets.

By attracting these predators into your yard or garden, cricket numbers will be exponentially curbed. If you make a home with sources of water, shelter, and native plants for these animals, you will eventually create an ecosystem where the crickets are naturally balanced.

15. Sound Repellents

An ultrasonic pest repellent is an electronic device that emits high-frequency sounds, which can discomfort, repel, or even immobilize household pests. These devices generally are marketed as much safer and easier to apply compared to conventional methods of pest control.

They are normally connected to electrical outlets, though some use batteries for outdoor application in cases where power is not available. These devices target cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, rats, mice, and crickets by driving them outside homes and gardens.

While they generally do not affect pets, there are concerns regarding long-term neurological effects of prolonged exposure to these sound frequencies. You may want to research whether this method is appropriate for your home.

16. Baking Soda and Sugar

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Baking soda and sugar remedies remove cricket infestation because sugar attracts crickets while baking soda poisons them. To make mixture, combine equal portions of baking soda and granulated sugar in a shallow plate or low-lying container.

Place these containers in areas of cricket activity: along baseboards, near entry points, or in corners where they hide. The crickets would be attracted to the sugar but would also ingest some baking soda in the process.

Once inside the cricket's digestive system, the baking soda will react to form gas that could be toxic to them. Replace this mixture regularly to maintain effectiveness, especially after this mixture becomes damp or contaminated.

17. Chili Pepper Spray

Chili pepper spray is an organic non-toxic cricket repellent that minimizes cricket invasion by utilizing the hot irritants inside it. In preparing the chili pepper spray, you should blend or finely chop fresh chili peppers and mix them with water in a spray bottle.

Allow this mixture to sit for a while to infuse. Strain the liquid before application to discard any solid particles, as these can block the sprayer. Spray them in areas of highest cricket activity, or those places most likely to enter like cracks and crevices and along perimeters of your home.

18. Bay Leaves

Take bay leaves for organic cricket repellents to prevent the infestation by just placing the leaves in areas that are prone to cricket activity - or where the crickets usually frequent, including your inside kitchen cabinets, pantry shelves, under appliances, etc.

Replace the leaves from time to time, as after some time, they lose their efficiency. The bay leaves need to be kept out of reach of children and other pets to avoid being ingested. It is quite easy and natural way of preventing these crickets from your houses and ultimately helping you in ensuring no bug in your home.

19. Citrus Peels

Because citrus peels contain natural oils and compounds, crickets will avoid them. Citrus peels can be used properly against pests like crickets by placing fresh or dried peels in areas where these insects are found.

It would be more effective, or not, depending on the concentration of oils within the peels and how bad the cricket problem is. You could combine the peels with other methods for stronger control, such as using insecticides that would precisely target the crickets.

20. Professional Pest Control

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Of course, if all the above methods fail, then it may be time to call in the professionals. That would be the most feasible solution when faced with a serious and continuing infestation where all the DIY techniques have fallen short.

Because pest control professionals have the training, experience, and equipment to find where the infestation is, they can administer the proper effective treatments accordingly. They will be in a position to apply insecticides that target areas safely for your home and family, ensuring that all present crickets are eliminated.

Professional services also offer long-term solutions and prevention against possible future outbreaks.