How to Get Rid of Crickets? Natural, Herbal, and Chemical Treatment

Crickets are distantly related to grasshoppers, are ‘Orthopteran’ insects and related to bush crickets. Crickets are spread everywhere in the world except in a territory of 55 degrees and above. Their habitat varies from grassland, bushes, and forests to marshes, beaches, and caves. Crickets are nocturnal and males make loud, chirping, and consistent sounds to attract females though some species are mute.

Crickets are small to medium-sized insects with cylindrical vertically flattened bodies. The head is spherical with slender antennae arising from cone-shaped and behind it, they possess two large compound eyes.

We can see some types of crickets here –

Camel Cricket –

• They have a similar hump like a camel on the back and spidery long legs, hence the name.
• Adult camels do not have wings or striding mechanism.
• They can become real pests in the home as they look for cool and humid places like bathrooms or laundry, in extreme conditions.
• They are also called ‘cave cricket’ because of the places they choose to stay.

Mormon Cricket –

• The name is given after these crickets infested the state of Utah, the first Mormon settlement.
• The Mormon crickets are a katydid that can grow as long as three inches in length.
• Their exoskeleton is black, brown, green, or purple.
• In the swarming phase, females can lay several eggs in the soil through ovipositor.
• They eat grass and vegetation and are prey of crows and coyotes.

Jerusalem Cricket –

• They are also called ‘potato bugs’ or ‘old bald-headed men’ because of their body structure.
• Their stridulating habits make them consider as crickets but they belong to the family ‘Stenopelmatus’.
• They make a hissing noise by rubbing their hind legs against their abdomens.
• They are not venomous but they have a foul smell and can bite humans hard.

House Cricket –

• Most commonly found in houses as the name suggests.
• They acquire a place in the kitchen, fireplaces, patios, furniture, appliances, etc.
• They are nocturnal, vocal, and active during night-time.

Parktown Prawn or King Cricket –

• They are from the family ‘Anostostomatidae’, not true crickets but are close.
• The name is originated from a common South African place.
• They help to control the garden snail’s populations.
• These crickets are omnivorous and eat anything from vegetables to cat & dog food and their droppings.
• It is said that their high population in Parktown is because of some genetic experiment carried out by it’s University in the 1960s.

Roesel’s Bush Cricket –

• They are small and usually brown and yellow.
• They have spotted abdomen and females have sword-like ovipositor.
• These are known for their singing which consists of continuous high pitch buzzing that irritates humans.

Australian Field Cricket –

• They are black or dark brown with stripes on the back of their head.
• They are also known as Pacific or Oceanic field crickets.
• They produce the song by opening and closing wings rapidly.
• The females respond only to the winner between the two males.

How to Get Rid of Indoor Crickets?

Having seen the types of crickets, we now know that the most common crickets to invade houses are ‘house crickets.’  Other occasional invaders are camel crickets, mole crickets, ground crickets, and field crickets. Occasional does not necessarily mean in a long period but the occasions can be too frequent.

Most crickets are active at night. Field and house crickets are strongly attracted to light but mole crickets, not that much. One must take care of lighting arrangements to stay away from the invasion of crickets to his house.

Natural Home Remedies to Get Rid of Indoor Crickets   

If you find the invasion of crickets in your house, you must make it a point to eliminate or shove them outside. They enter buildings through open or poorly fitting doors, vents, or windows. You need to take some precautions and corrective actions to stop the entry.

Here, we will discuss some of the measures that we can take to prevent or kill the crickets by using home remedies –

1. Maintain neat outdoors – Make sure that the tree branches and bushes are not creating a path to land in your home. They must be neatly trimmed away from the balcony or windows of the home.
   
   Store firewood sufficiently away from the entry points of the home.
   
2. Grow nitrogen-fixing plants – Growing nitrogen-fixing plants like peas, beans, and legumes helps to repel crickets due to its property of drawing nitrogen gas from the air and storing in its root.
   
   Plants like clover, garlic, cilantro, sweet potatoes, and sweet peas in the garden will also help to keep crickets away as they get irritated by these plants.
   
3. Diatomaceous earth – Sprinkling some diatomaceous earth powder will be effective as when DE gets in contact with crickets they get dehydrated and die. Make sure to use food-grade DE.
   
4. Molasses – The tasty ingredient in chocolates and cookies can work as bait for crickets. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of molasses in a bowl or jar of water and keep them at different places. The molasses smell will quickly draw crickets towards this bait and when they try to taste it, they will sink and drown.
   
5. Natural pesticide – Mix hot chili powder with 2 cups of water and add a few drops of dish soap. Spray carefully ensuring safety, in the affected area. The burning smell will keep the crickets away from it.
   
6. Close the gaps – Every nuke and corner must be inspected for holes or cracks. All the bottom of doors and floor must be entry-proof. Gaps in the window grills and open doors in the balcony are the easy entry points. Repairing the pipe leaks to avoid moist and cool surroundings is essential.
   
7. Support natural predators – Crickets are easy prey for cats and dogs, hence, you can let them do their work. They will clean most of the pests from your home. If you place a bird feeder in your garden, they might help you get rid of crickets.
   
   Also, lizards and spiders are the natural predators of crickets.
   
8. Set up the trap – Because crickets are nocturnal, you may not be able to deal with them during the day-time. You can choose to place glue traps in dark, moist places where they like to hide. Keep some traps below kitchen appliances, under upholstery furniture, and wardrobes, so, you can catch them.
   
9. Boric acid bait – Boric acid powder can get rid of pests like crickets by disrupting their nervous system. It can act like poison for many pests.
   
   Mix the boric powder with sugar and make an easy bait to lure crickets.
   
10. Keep trash clean – Crickets are attracted to the smell of garbage. The best remedy is to keep the trash clean by emptying twice a day and replacing the garbage bag every day.
    
    Keep the trash containers tightly closed.
    
11. Drains sanitation – The drains in the house may be the source of entry for crickets. You must ensure that the drains are free-flowing and do not have any food waste or similar.
    
    Pour mild chlorine water daily, this will keep crickets away.
    
12. Use orange guard – The product Orange Guard is made from plant extract and contains safe ingredients. This will repel the crickets effectively.
    
13. Sticky paper – Used glue laden sticky paper to catch the crickets. This will have crickets luring scent, so, they will come for it as food and get stuck on paper glue.
    
14. Vacuum cleaning – Vacuum cleaning is not only for cleaning dust, cobwebs, etc. but also to remove pests. This is a very effective way to get rid of crickets.
    
    However, the crickets are cannibals and if they are hungry and don’t get any food, they will attack each other.
    
15. Keep cat as a pet – You can also opt to have a cat as a natural predator. Cats do like to catch the crickets.

How to Get Rid of Crickets With Pets in the House?

One needs to keep in mind that when there are pets in the house, they should not try anything which can cause harm to pets unknowingly. Therefore, you must better study the possibilities of using the methods or if you feel some method has to be adapted, then, you have to keep it out of reach of pets.

For instance, if you need to keep bait with poison, then, you must ensure to keep it at the places where pets won’t guard. Also, one needs to plan the baits according to the pet he is having. Means suppose the dog is there then he can put bait on the upper side of kitchen cabinets but not the same if there is a cat.

If a cat is there as a pet, then, it is better not keep any poisoned baits because they can climb or crawl anywhere. In such a scenario, you can opt for other preventive measures to get rid of crickets, or any pest.

Both dog and cat can roam outside of the house too, hence, it is wise to get the other methods work which won’t directly come across the path of pets.

Chemical Treatment to Get Rid of Indoor Crickets   

You must look to perform the chemical treatment for crickets if they are not responding to the natural home remedies. There are some effective chemicals available for domestic use as well as some that can be used exclusively by pest control professionals.

1. Insecticide bug trays – One can either use all-purpose bug spray that is made especially for crickets. Using this spray near windows and slit openings in your house will give effective results.
   
   Bug sprays are effective in killing the crickets’ eggs too.

• Pyrid aerosols – You can use this handy kit to get rid of crickets. It is for in-house purposes and you can spray on crickets straightaway to kill them.

• D-Fense dust – This is an insecticidal powder that can be spread around in light quantities with all the precautions. The dust bite will kill the crickets.

• Silica insect dust – The Silica insect dust is set to make the crickets eat it and get dehydrated. The effect of silica and diatomaceous earth is the same and it is equally effective.

• Chemical bait – Chemical bait works just like molasses but it is poisonous, so, when the crickets will jump over the bowl, they will get killed.

• Pyrethrins – Pyrethrins are the most common compound used to control the insects indoor. They are particularly effective when they are used in combination with other similar chemicals.

• Pyrethroids – Pyrethroids are synthetic pesticides as against Pyrethrins, which are botanical insecticides. Pyrethroids work in similar ways as Pyrethrins and are also seen in the form of foggers.

• Pyrroles – The only registered pesticide is Chlorfenapyr under the Pyrroles category. It’s biological activity depends upon its activation to form another chemical. The formed chemical disrupts the active cells of insects.

• Insect growth regulators – Insect growth regulators control the growth of the pests by altering the production of chitin or by altering the development of insects into adulthood.
  
• Neonicotinoids – These are synthetic forms of nicotine and the effect on the nicotinic receptors of the nervous system will be under attack till it fails.    

How to Get Rid of Outdoor Crickets?

If you have seen some crickets inside the house, then, the chances of them being in the garden are sure. This is because the crickets live more outdoors than indoors and they have come inside probably to get moist conditions.

Of course, you don’t need to search much because you are surely going to hear their chirping sound very soon. There are some remedies you can try your hands at. 

Natural Home Remedies to Get Rid of Outdoor Crickets 

By using some home-made remedies, you are assuring the safety of your children and pets. Ensure that any of the methods you adopt is not going to harm them at any time.

1. Diatomaceous earth – As we have seen the food-grade diatomaceous works well on the indoor crickets, we can implement it outdoor too.
   
   Pour some powder mixed with sugar near the potential entry points of crickets like windows or balcony doors.
   
2. Salt and water – This is an excellent cricket deterrent. Mix 3 tablespoons of salt in one quart of water and spray along the infested area outdoor.
   
   Over a period of time, it will start killing crickets.
   
3. Baking soda and boric acid – Singularly baking soda won’t kill crickets but when used in combination with boric powder, the compound will act as a cricket deterrent. The crickets will get lured by baking soda and get killed by boric acid.
   
4. Essential oils – Most effective insect repellents are essential oils like thyme, clove or rosemary. Since the oils are concentrated, one must use them after diluting with water and spraying around to repel crickets.
   
5. Borax – Spreading borax over cracks and crevices and also under the windows or pavements will keep the crickets away due to its strong smell.
   
6. Cricket bait – Home-made bait with simple technique can catch the crickets. Keep some luring food in a container with an optimum opening so that crickets will go inside but can’t come out.
   
7. Natural predators – Explore the option of having a natural predator that can catch and kill the crickets. Encouraging them to get the crickets can be one possibility you can think of.
   
8. Ultrasonic repellers – Plugging the sound repeller outside can be a good idea as the ultrasonic sound created is hated by the crickets. As this needs almost no-efforts, you can see how it works.
   
9. Chickens – Chickens too are natural predators of crickets. They will peck at them and eat if they find crickets around them. You can opt for a pair of chickens residing in your yard.
   
10. Molasses – An extremely effective measure to catch and kill crickets. In this simple method, mix the molasses in a bowl with water and keep near the activity of crickets. You can places 3-4 bowls at different places.
    
    Crickets get lured to molasses quickly and sink and die in the bowls.
    
11. Dish soap – Mix two tablespoons of liquid dish wash soap in a liter of water, fill in the spray bottle and sprinkle directly on the crickets you observe. The spray will eliminate them instantly.
    
12. Cricket repelling plants – Crickets hates nitrogen and the nitrogen-producing plants like clover and sweet potato that inject excess nitrogen in the soil. Putting up garlic plant or just spreading crushed garlic around will make crickets go away quickly.
    
13. Keep the yard clean – Keeping the surroundings clean and clear of any debris is always the best choice to keep pests away. No trash, no piles, no stagnated water, and no rubbish will ensure your life pest-free.
    
14. Preventive maintenance – Your house should be inspected by you pretty frequently for any small cracks, holes, or openings through a pipe or cable inlet. Seal all the minute opening which you feel are at risk of invasion.
    
15. Vinegar – Vinegar can kill crickets on contact. Mix 3 ounces of vinegar with a cup of water and spray directly on the crickets. Because of its acidic nature, the crickets will get away quickly.     

Chemical Treatment to Get Rid of Outdoor Crickets

You have tried enough home remedies but you are not able to get rid of crickets from your outdoors – it means that they have developed a good settling atmosphere around your home. This also indicates that the infestation is quite high and it’s time to call professionals or try using some chemicals to treat them.

Though there are many insecticides that will give results for many insects, one must opt for the specific one. Here, we will discuss what chemicals can be used to treat crickets –

1. Maxforce granules – Spread it in a target measured area. These small granules will lure the crickets and on eating they will die.
   
   You have to plan different areas at a time to be it more effective otherwise crickets will get to know and won’t visit the same place.
   
2. Bithor spray – Treating the foundation with this spray to control crickets could be the first step you take. It is a quick knockdown as well as a good residual chemical. This mixture will dry quickly and will not leave any stains behind.
   
3. Field traps – Keeping these scented traps at various places outdoors will help catch most of the crickets. The scent will attract the crickets and the glue applied to the traps will not allow them to escape.
   
4. Demise dust – This sealant helps prevent the crickets from entering the house. Demise is applied to electrical outlets, light fixtures, switch plate covers and acts as a desiccant and crickets will get killed if they come in contact with it.
   
5. Crusader Applicator – The females will lay their eggs deep inside the voids and walls through the cracks. This nesting area can be penetrated by Crusader Applicator. Once this is applied, the place will no longer serve as reproduction spaces.
   
6. Dustin Mizer – This device can blow the dust to 20 to 30 feet. This will cover all the crawling spaces where crickets can survive. Dustin Mizer will quickly act in such areas.
   
7. NiBan Granular Bait – This can be applied in the area of 2 feet wideband and it will be effective to keep the crickets away.
   
8. Talstar PL Granules – This one is a seasonal approach to control particular crickets. You need to apply this in April-May to control the mole crickets.
   
9. CB Air Devil HPX – This is a contact treatment aerosol with specialized chemicals which when comes in contact with the crickets, kills them on the spot.
   
10. Demon WP Insecticide – To create a residual barrier around the perimeter of your house, you will need to use the residual insecticides. Following the mixing instruction, you can ensure your boundary is covered to protect from crickets.    

How to Get Rid of Crickets in Your Yard?

It can happen that while you are resting on your easy chair in one fine evening enjoying your coffee and you suddenly hear a lot of chirping in the grass.

Well, they are crickets as your guests. The grass might have gone longer or the lawn not taken care of many days. You have probably got the crickets in the yard too. They reside on the grass and then, come out to look for the food.

• Try to locate the crickets by their noise; it’s easy to say than done. They are going to keep quiet once they sense your presence.
• Try to focus on things that can cover the nests. You can search dark and moist places.
• After finding the nest, break the water to that place or overwater the place to get the crickets out of their den.
• You can also use the pesticidal spray by targeting the dark and moist places of small space.

How to Get Rid of Crickets From the Trees?

As we know that crickets lay their eggs outdoors in the soil in the summer to early winter. There would be around 150-400 eggs to sit over in winter and hatch in early summer and the young will be feeding on the plants. In 90 days, the nymphs will mature and the cycle will repeat itself.

Since they largely feed plants, they can damage your plants in the garden considerately. You will be hoping to keep them out of your garden away from the plant. You can apply some simple methods here.

How to Get Rid of Crickets From the Trees?

Keeping the crickets away from the trees involves some very easy works to be carried out as far as your garden is concerned. Please check out the following things which you can try –

• Crickets mate at night and get attracted to the light. So, you can simply manage to keep reduced garden lights.
• Replace the lights with low-pressure sodium vapour lamps or alike, which does not attract crickets.
• Encourage natural predators like cats, lizards, or birds to make prey of crickets.
• You can try glue bait boards with sprinkled cornmeal.

These are a few of the actions you can incorporate quickly.

How to Find Cricket Nests?

If you want to find where crickets have nested, then, you must be able to identify the cricket eggs and the habitats of the crickets. Crickets mostly like dark and moist areas to hide. It could be any place in your home including the carpets on the floor or the door-mat.

Outdoors, they like to live in long grass and among piles of lawn debris. You can know their presence by the chirping sound they make but finding their eggs and nest is a little difficult because unlike other pets they do not usually leave signs of infestation. They prefer to live outdoors and don’t breed or survive well indoors.

If needed, then only they will invade and make a burrow in cracks or behind baseboards but will be indoors at the first chance to get to move out.  

How to Treat Cricket Bites?

There are different types of crickets with different characteristics. Most of the crickets don’t bite and even if they do it, it is in self-defense. House cricket bites are not strong enough to damage human skin. Camel crickets can’t bite at all. Cave crickets do not bite though they look fearsome. Locust crickets bite very rarely but it is painful if they do. Banded crickets are non-aggressive and don’t bite.

Crickets have two multipurpose jaws but their mouth parts are not strong enough to make a hole by biting. However, crickets bite does not transfer any fatal diseases but can cause minor health-issues. The symptoms of cricket’s bites are like –

• skin rash
• sores on your skin
• flu-like symptoms

In case of a bite, you must clean the area with antibacterial soap and warm water as the first step. Apply polysporin to cure the bite but if rashes persist and get reddish, consult your doctor.

FAQ

Q. How to Get Rid of Crickets in Cracks and Crevices?

• You can opt to use quick killer bug spray or close the gap and eliminate the harbourage by caulking the cracks and crevices.

Q. How to Get Rid of Crickets Around Pool?

• The best option to get rid of crickets around the pool is to spray an effective residual insecticide around the perimeter of the pool area.

Q. How to Get Rid of Crickets With Wings?

• The crickets with wings mostly do only crawl or walk. They will use wings for creating chirping noise. But you can get away with them by placing some hanging glue strips to catch them.

Q. How to Get Rid of Giant Crickets?

• To get rid of giant crickets such as spider crickets, glue, or water traps are the best options. Crickets can’t get off the water if trapped. You can also try vacuuming them in.

Q. How to Get Rid of Crickets Under Carpet?

• Using a vacuum cleaner is the right way to get rid of crickets under carpets. By vacuuming, you can remove crickets as well as their eggs effectively.

Q. How Vegans Get Rid of Crickets?

• Trapping bait is a better idea for vegans. They can use a home-made trap out of a container or bottle and can catch the crickets by luring them with food inside.

Q. How to Get Rid of Crickets in Refrigerator?

• You will not find crickets inside the refrigerator because they will die of excessive cold which they can’t stand for. However, you may find them below it and you can easily trap them in the water trap.