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How to Get Rid of Crickets

Madhavi Ghare
Crickets come with the arrival of the summer season. Here are some tips to get rid of the crickets that decide that your home is their home too.
The sound of crickets chirping in the night is not a strange experience in the summer season. However, when these crickets decide that your home is going to be their home as well, it is time to take firm action.
These bugs can eat into almost anything - right from your clothes to your wallpaper, and sometimes even wood. Of course, the persistent chirping is not quite conducive to a lazy summer afternoon nap either.
Here are some tips and ideas for ensuring that these crickets do not become a permanent part of your family.
▶ First and foremost, know that crickets love to live in tall grasses and moist areas that are thick with foliage. Ensure that the area around your house and in your yard is not a wonderful breeding ground for these insects.
As soon as they like your yard, they will want to check out your house as well. So mow the lawn and ensure that you have plants that are at least 12 inches away from your walls.
▶ But of course, when you throw away the debris after all the mowing and gardening, ensure that you have raked it a long distance away from your home.
▶ If you have open garbage pails close to your home, then seal them or shut them well. Place or keep your garbage pails at some distance from your home. Crickets love these places and will come by for a visit.
▶ The next thing to consider is the cracks in your walls. Seal the cracks, especially those which will allow these bugs to crawl into your home. Use screens in places you can't seal.
▶ Crickets also gather in drains and gutters on your roof. So keep these places clean during the summer months.
▶ Another thing to consider is the outdoor lighting of your home. These bugs are also attracted to the light. So switch from bright lights to low-level lights.
▶ There are also a variety of cricket control sprays and pest control products in the market. However, please check the labels before you buy, for some of the ingredients might be toxic. This is important, especially if you are allergic to those ingredients or if you have a baby or pets at home.
▶ You can also get a variety of cricket baits in the market. A simple cricket bait to make at home is - fill up a clean glass jar with a mixture of water and molasses. Place this open jar in a spot where you have seen crickets come and go. Soon, they will get attracted to this solution and try to feed on it. While doing so, they will drown in the mixture.
Of course, if all else fails, you can call a pest control company for getting rid of them. So, take all these preventive measures before the onset of summer and ensure a cricket-free season.