It’s fall, and here come chirping crickets

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Crickets are the buglers of September and October in Missouri homes. These noisy insects make their way indoors for warmth and shelter once temperatures start to drop, says University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University urban entomologist Emily Althoff.

Crickets are drawn to light and find their way inside through small openings in foundations or under doors as they search for food and safety. They prefer cool, dark and damp places and like to move at night, Althoff says.

Once inside, they eat and damage items such as cotton, linen, wool, silk and fur, she says. Materials soiled by perspiration or food are more likely to be damaged. These crickets also eat dead or dying insects, including their own species. Field crickets may also damage crops.

Althoff says there are several ways to prevent crickets from entering:

• Seal cracks. Use weatherstripping, caulk and door sweeps as barriers.
• Avoid clutter. Remove clutter from around the foundation of buildings. Clutter can serve as hiding places for crickets and other pests.
• Remove vegetation. Fall is a good time to tidy up vegetation from flower beds, gardens and bushes to avoid providing shelter for crickets and other insects.

Crickets belong to the same order as katydids and grasshoppers, Orthopetera. The males make chirping sounds to attract females. The most common house-invading crickets in Missouri are field crickets, house crickets, ground crickets and mole crickets.

Learn more about different types of crickets and ways to treat them in the MU Extension publication House-Invading Crickets.

Photo

Ground cricket. Photo by Judy Gallagher. Shared under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY-2.0).