How to Get Rid of Crickets from Your House? 3 Effective Ways & 6 Home Remedies

Crickets, the small cockroach-like creatures seem to be quite harmless apparently. But they are not, when multiplied. The sooner cricket population increases; you will find them overrunning your house. Damaging clothes, paper products, furniture, walls and food are the most common complaints by the people. Besides that, their high-pitched squeaking sound is known for ruining people’s sleep. The only solution to chuck out these annoying insects from your property is to combat them. There are several effective ways to disinfect your house of these tiny sadists. Read on to know more about it.

Types of cricket

There are four common types of crickets that might invade your house. These may include;

  • House crickets—yellowish bodies, hide in warmer places particularly kitchen
  • Camel crickets—brownish color, crawl in moist and dark places (do not fly)
  • Mole crickets—toughest to handle, damage the lawn, they live underground
  • Field crickets—dark (blackish in color), attracted towards light

3 Effective ways to help you get rid of crickets

For getting rid of crickets, preventative and simple measures are the only solution. But even before that, you must find out the hide outs of these little buggers. Normally it’s the moist and dark places where these crickets prefer to nestle. To reach them accurately, following their annoying chirp is the easiest way. Once you have determined their location, load yourself up with some bestselling deterrents to kill them.

1. Using cricket traps and spray

Close up of a sticky cricket trap full of dead, decapitated crickets.You want to get rid of them easily? Using insect deterrents like some classic sticky traps or store-bought pesticidal spray are the easiest solutions. Houses where pets or toddlers are around, cricket glue traps are the safest option (unlike bug sprays, these are non-toxic). All you need is a cornmeal bait to allure crickets. Corners of the wall are the most notorious pest harborage. So, start placing these gooey traps in the corners first. JT Eaton 844 Pest Catchers Glue Trap is the most recommended product. Besides being non-poisonous, its heady scent kills the insects quite effectively. The second best option is to use some toxic chemicals to kill those annoying species. Spray on the infested areas, trim, garage, basement, baseboards and corners of the room to kill crickets and their eggs. These are the common places where crickets lay eggs. These sprays are available in two types—the one made for crickets only and all-purpose bug spray. Try All-N-One Bug Defense Natural Spray. This one is equally effective on all type of crickets. And above all its safe as it does not contain any harming chemicals.

2. Removing cricket nesting areas

For a long term solution, you are recommended to remove all the nesting areas or common hiding places of cricket in your house. From the corners of the window to the bottom of the doors, everything should be sealed to prevent them from entering. Follow the below given hacks to prevent their breeding for a cricket-free house;

· Fill all the cracks in your windows and walls.

· Garbage bin lure crickets. Make sure your trash bins are covered completely and you are disposing off the trash on daily basis.

· Keep your house clean and germs-free all the time.

· Crickets lay eggs in long grass and thick bushes. To stop them from nesting, trim your garden area regularly.

· There should be no mulch or wooden piles near your house.

3. No attractants for crickets

Crickets must not feel welcomed around your property. Beside finishing the nesting areas, work on some elements that force the crickets to leave your place. These may include;

· As crickets are attracted to lights, either you should turn off the outdoor lighting (you can’t do that because of nighttime curb appeal) or replace the traditional lights with yellow or amber-colored bug light.

· Crickets breed in a moist atmosphere. Look for such spots in your house and use dehumidifier to resolve the problem.

· Yard lights should be at a reasonable distance from your house.

· Windows must be covered with blinds and shades (to prevent light from drawing crickets) to keep the bugs away.

· Getting aid from other natural predators can also help. If you have pets like birds, cat or dog in your house, they would help in keeping crickets at bay. Lizards and spiders love to feast on crickets. So, having them around is a perfect plan to reduce their population.

6 Proven home remedies to get rid of crickets

You want to try something natural and homemade to disinfect your house? Check out these home remedies to fight crickets.

1. Molasses

Using molasses is the sweetest way to kill these noisy pests. Molasses is a known attractant for crickets. It comes with a sweet smell. To hunt crickets, simply dilute molasses (couple of spoons) and water in a shallow bowl. Place the bowl in the most infected area. Getting attracted by the smell, the crickets will soon find themselves submerged in the water.

Note: Some even suggest using beer in place of molasses.

2. Vacuum cleaner

Use a vacuum cleaner on your carpet, wall voids, baseboards and other hidden and dark corners of the house. It helps in pulling out eggs (if any) laid by crickets. Make sure, you are using a vacuum cleaner with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. Once you are done with vacuuming, safely transfer all the dirt and trash in a sealed plastic bag.

3. Soap water

Soap water is your natural pesticide for facing these deadly crickets. Simply filling a spray bottle with soap water is enough to deal with pests. Keep this spray ready, the sooner you come across crickets, spray the mixture on them. The chemical components in the soap help in breaking down the outer layer of crickets, leaving them dead ultimately.

4. Homemade spray for plants and pests

Besides soap spray, you can utilize the common kitchen spices for making a homemade insecticide to spray on plants and crickets. For that you need to have different chili items. These may include—hot spices, peppers and sauces. Mix them well, add some water and leave in a container for a night. Next day, after straining it, collect the liquid in a bowl, add some dishwashing detergent and a glass of water. Pour it in a spraying jar. Your homemade spray is ready. Spray it on your plants to keep the crickets away. The mixture can also be sprayed on the crickets directly.

Note: In case the mixture is causing damage to your plants, dilute more water in it.

5. Diatomaceous earth

Yet another effective homemade solution for getting rid of crickets, this potent powder is made by turning the algae skeletons (silicon-rich) into a powdered form. It’s completely harmless (safest for pets) and non-toxic item and you can freely use it in indoor and outdoor of your house. Just make sure that the areas, you are going to sprinkle this powder, are not wet (water affects its efficiency). It causes dehydration in crickets. And soon you will discover them meeting their final destination. You can buy it from any food store.

6. Nitrogen fixing plants

Plants irritate crickets, growing such plants is a cool idea. The most effective nitrogen fixing plants are garlic, sweet peas and clover. Weeds like alliums and wormwood too help in the prevention of insects.

Conclusion

To sum up, there is no long term solution to this issue except sealing off your house completely. Once you have removed all the crickets from your property, make sure to seal all the cracks, doors and windows. And opt for weekly or monthly vacuuming sessions to control the cricket population.

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