Crickets

Signs that you may have crickets in your home include:

Chirping Sounds: Male crickets chirp by rubbing their wings together. This sound is a primary indicator of their presence, especially at night when crickets are most active​​.

Physical Damage: Crickets may feed on fabrics, paper products, and plant materials inside your home. Look for damaged materials that may indicate their feeding.

Sightings: Since crickets are attracted to light, you might see them near light sources or windows at night.

Moist Areas: Camel crickets prefer moist environments, so check basements, laundry rooms, or any damp areas for their presence.

Field crickets are dark brown to black with a body length of 1/2 to 3/4 inch, and they are known for their singing. They are attracted to light and may feed on fabrics like cotton, linen, silk, and wool, especially if these materials are soiled by food or perspiration​. 

Camel crickets, which lack wings and have a body length of about 3/4 inch, are tan and have hump-backed appearance. They are found in cool, damp, and dark areas. They are not attracted to light and may enter homes, seeking environments similar to their outdoor habitats, such as basements​​. 

House crickets are about 3/4 inch in length, are light yellowish-brown with three dark bands behind the head, and have long, pointed wings. They are also attracted to light and can feed on plant material as well as fabrics like silk and wool​.

Crickets are generally not considered dangerous to humans. They are known more as a nuisance, especially when they enter homes, due to their loud chirping noise. The most common crickets found in Minnesota, such as the field cricket, camel cricket, and house cricket, do not pose a serious threat to humans or pets​​.

Field crickets, for example, are known for their singing and are attracted to light, but they mainly feed on plant materials and, occasionally, other materials like thin rubber, cotton, linen, silk, and wool, especially those soiled by food or perspiration. They do not bite or carry diseases​.

Camel crickets prefer cool, damp, and dark environments and are also not known to bite humans. Instead, they might cause damage to paper products when indoors but are more of a nuisance due to their presence in unwelcome places rather than any health risk they pose​.

House crickets can feed on a wide range of materials, including plant material and fabric, but they are not harmful to humans. Like the other species, they do not bite humans and are not carriers of diseases. However, in large numbers, they might damage fabrics and other materials within homes​.

Allergies and Sleep Disturbance: Besides the potential physical damage to your property, crickets can also be a source of allergies for some individuals due to their droppings, which may cause skin irritation and respiratory issues. The loud chirping sounds produced by male crickets, particularly at night, can also lead to sleep disturbance and stress​.

Crickets in your home, while not considered dangerous to humans or pets, can indeed cause damage to your property. Common cricket species in Minnesota, such as field crickets, camel crickets, and house crickets, possess strong jaws that enable them to chew on a variety of household materials​ including

• Chewing on Fabrics and Carpets: Crickets are known to chew through clothing, carpets, and fabrics, which can result in holes and damage. They are particularly drawn to materials like wool, silk, cotton, and certain synthetic fabrics, causing fraying and significant damage to these items​​.
• Damaging Wood and Paper Items: Beyond textiles, crickets can also chew through wood and paper items, including furniture and books. This behavior can leave behind holes or other signs of damage, potentially affecting the structural integrity and aesthetic value of these belongings​​.
• Affecting Drywall, Wallpaper, and Insulation: In some cases, crickets may also damage more integral parts of your home, such as drywall, wallpaper, and insulation. This can lead to more extensive and costly repairs if the infestation is not addressed promptly​.

Crickets can find their way into your house or yard for several reasons, primarily in search of shelter, warmth, and food sources. In our area, common cricket species such as the field cricket, camel cricket, and house cricket are particularly active in late summer and fall, which is when you might notice them more frequently.

Here’s why crickets might be in your house or yard:

1. Warmth and Shelter: Crickets seek warm, dark, and moist places to shelter from harsh outdoor environments, especially as the weather cools down. Your house can provide these conditions, making it an attractive haven for crickets during colder months​.
2. Food Sources: Crickets are omnivorous and will feed on a wide variety of materials. Inside homes, they can feed on fabrics, wood, paper, and even other insects. Outdoors, they consume plant material and can be drawn to yards that offer abundant food sources, such as gardens or compost piles​.
3. Entry Points: Crickets can enter your home through cracks and gaps in the foundation, walls, and around doors or windows. They can also sneak in through open windows and vents. Reducing these entry points can help prevent crickets from getting inside​.
4. Attraction to Light: Crickets, especially field crickets and house crickets, are attracted to light. This can lead them to congregate around windows, doors, and other light sources in your home and yard. Reducing outdoor lighting or switching to less attractive yellow lights can help minimize this attraction.
5. Moist Environments: Particularly for camel crickets, moist environments are appealing. Basements, crawl spaces, and even damp areas in your yard can attract these crickets. Ensuring proper drainage and reducing moisture can make these areas less inviting​.

Preventing cricket damage involves several strategies, including sealing entry points like cracks and gaps in your home’s foundation, walls, and doors, reducing indoor moisture, and removing potential food sources to make your home less inviting to these pests. Regular home maintenance and cleanliness can deter crickets from entering and establishing themselves inside your property. In cases where an infestation has occurred, professional pest control services may be necessary to effectively eliminate crickets and mitigate any damage they have caused​​.

The life cycle of crickets generally follows a gradual pattern of egg, nymph, and adult stages, a process known as incomplete metamorphosis. While specific details can vary among different cricket species and environmental factors such as temperature, moisture, and food availability influence the length of each developmental stage, a general overview of the life cycle of crickets commonly found in our area (field cricket, camel cricket, and house cricket) includes:

1. Egg Stage: The life cycle begins when a female cricket lays eggs. This typically occurs in the late summer or fall. Eggs are often laid in the soil or another soft material where they will overwinter and hatch the following spring. The exact number of eggs laid can vary greatly depending on the species.
2. Nymph Stage: After hatching, crickets emerge as nymphs. These juvenile crickets resemble adults but are smaller and lack wings. Nymphs go through a series of molts, shedding their exoskeleton to grow. With each molt, they gradually develop adult features, including wings. The number of molts can vary, but most cricket species go through 6 to 12 molts over several weeks to months.
3. Adult Stage: Once they have completed their final molt, crickets reach adulthood. Adult crickets have fully developed wings and are capable of reproduction. Males begin to produce chirping sounds to attract females for mating. The purpose of the adult stage is primarily for reproduction.

The total lifespan of a cricket from egg to adult death can vary but is generally several months. Most crickets live for less than a year. After mating, females lay eggs, and the cycle begins anew. Adult crickets usually die when the weather turns cold, although indoor populations can live longer.

Crickets are fascinating insects with a variety of interesting characteristics and behaviors that go beyond their familiar chirping sounds. Here are some intriguing facts about crickets that may not be widely known:

1. Crickets’ Chirps and Temperature: There’s a scientific method known as Dolbear’s Law that relates the temperature to the rate at which crickets chirp. By counting the number of chirps in 14 seconds and adding 40, you can estimate the temperature in Fahrenheit.
2. Crickets Use Chirps to Communicate: Male crickets chirp for several reasons, including attracting females, repelling other males, and as a victory call after successfully fending off rivals or attracting a mate. The frequency and nature of the chirps can vary depending on the species and the message being conveyed.
3. “Silent” Crickets: Some female crickets are completely silent, lacking the ability to chirp. This is because chirping is primarily a male behavior associated with attracting a mate and establishing territory.
4. Crickets Hear Through Their Legs: Unlike humans, crickets do not have ears located on their heads. Instead, they have hearing organs located on their front legs, just below the knees. 
5. Crickets Have Been Around for Millennia: Fossil evidence suggests that crickets have existed on Earth for over 300 million years, meaning they shared the planet with dinosaurs during the Mesozoic era.
6. Symbolism and Cultural Significance: In many cultures, crickets are considered good luck. They have been kept as pets for thousands of years, particularly in China, where they were also used for cricket fighting, a popular form of entertainment.
7. Crickets Can Fly, But Not All Choose To: While all crickets have wings, not all of them are adept at flying. Many species, such as the common house cricket, can fly, but others, like camel crickets, do not use their wings for flight.
8. Crickets in Literature and Folklore: Crickets have often been featured in literature and folklore as symbols of intelligence, prosperity, and good luck. One of the most famous examples is Jiminy Cricket from Carlo Collodi’s “Pinocchio”, where he serves as Pinocchio’s conscience.

Crickets are omnivorous, which means they have a varied diet including plants, fungi, and other insects. The specific diet can vary among different cricket species, but generally, crickets common in our area, such as the field cricket, camel cricket, and house cricket, have similar dietary habits.

• Field Crickets: These crickets are known to eat a wide variety of plants, including weeds and grasses. They also feed on dead or weakened insects, including other crickets. Field crickets may also venture indoors, where they can damage household items like fabrics made from cotton, linen, silk, and wool, especially if these items are soiled by food or perspiration​.
• Camel Crickets: Camel crickets, which do not have wings and are known for their humpbacked appearance, are found in cool, damp, and dark areas. They prefer feeding on fungi and plant debris found under logs and stones. When they enter homes, camel crickets might feed on paper products and are less likely to feed on fabrics compared to other cricket species.
• House Crickets: These crickets feed on a wide range of materials when outdoors, including plant material and dead or weakened insects. Indoors, they are known to feed on fabrics, such as silk and wool, and can cause severe damage if present in large numbers​​.

In addition to these specific items, crickets may also consume other available organic matter, including food scraps and garbage, making them occasional pests in homes and commercial properties where food is prepared or stored. It’s important to keep indoor and outdoor areas clean and free of food debris to discourage crickets from foraging in those areas.