How To Get Rid Of Crickets

by Jennifer Porterfield | Last Updated: June 29, 2023

While crickets, in general, can be annoying, there’s one type, the house cricket, that loves to come into our homes, eat our food, and just generally be annoying.

Their distinctive chirping sound is caused by males who rub their front wings together to attract females. 

If you have never had to deal with a cricket infestation before, then you will probably be unsure about what causes them in the first place and how to get rid of the crickets.

That’s why we’ve made this guide to show you all the best and most successful ways to get rid of crickets, and how to stop them from coming back into your home. 

What Are The Signs Of An Infestation?

The most obvious sign of a cricket infestation is the presence of crickets in the house. They are drawn to warm, moist environments like those found within homes.

Another sign of a cricket infestation is the chirping sound made by male crickets when they brush their front wings together.

Because they are nocturnal, this “calling song”, which is intended to attract females, is most often heard at night. Chewed or holey fabric might also suggest a house cricket infestation.

While the marks are usually only a few millimeters wide, if enough crickets have attacked your clothes you will be able to notice it more. 

How To Get Rid Of Crickets

Catch Them With Bait

This simple method is the most efficient and quickest way to attract crickets out from all the small corners and holes in your home.

Method:

• Fill a small dish or bowl halfway with water, and add a few spoonfuls of molasses. Place the bowl in the room where the crickets are bothering you. Crickets love molasses and will swarm into the bowl as soon as they smell it. Make sure that the dish is emptied regularly.

Chemical cricket bait, which can be found at hardware stores, works just as well in catching crickets. Because this type of bait is toxic, it’s essential that you keep children and pets away from it if you use it.

Set Traps

Non-toxic sticky glue traps can be used to catch crickets. If you have small children or dogs that are allergic to insecticides, this is a great alternative to using bug spray.

Placing cricket traps or moth traps near issue spots like walls, windows, and doors is a good idea. Insect pathways that are close to heat and moisture are more likely to attract invading crickets.

Use Bug Spray

The majority of insecticides are effective at killing crickets. Use an all-purpose spray or one developed specifically for crickets and spay it in corners, around windowsills, and other areas where you’ve seen an infestation

When using these sprays you have to be careful because they contain hazardous substances and chemicals. If you have a pet then make sure you don’t spay it around them as breathing it in could cause damage to their lungs.

The same can be said for the people in the house, so try not to go overboard when spraying this around your home. 

Remove The Eggs

Though you might not see any, crickets may lay eggs inside the house which can quickly make an infestation spiral out of control.

To get rid of any eggs vacuum the whole house more often than you normally would until you have the infestation under control. It’s best to use a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter.

These are high-powered machines that will remove the eggs from the carpet or wherever else they may have landed. Put the contents of the vacuumed bag in a sealed plastic bag and throw it away.

Another method to kill the eggs is to use bug spray. Most sprays used on live crickets will destroy the eggs. Crickets are known to lay eggs on baseboards and trim, so focus on these areas first. 

How To Stop Crickets From Coming Back Into Your Home

Once you got them out you don’t want the crickets to come back. Here are some ways you can protect your home from another infestation. 

Seal Your Home

The simplest method of preventing cricket infestations in your home is to seal your windows and doors. Keep an eye out for locations where they might be able to get in or build a nest since they can fit through even the tiniest cracks.

To prevent them from coming in this way, you can use caulk to fill in tiny cracks, seal windows, and fill in holes in your walls.

You could also buy an attachment that you can fix to the bottom of your doors to create a seal that keeps crickets out.

If you have any vents in your home that lead to outside, check to see whether they have screens as this is another way cricket can get in. If not then try to install some.

Seal Your Trash

Bad smells can attract crickets to your home. Putting your trash in a sealed container outside will prevent crickets from entering your home. 

Remove Bright Lights

Because crickets are attracted to bright lights, if your home is brightly illuminated at night then this could lure them in.

Low-lighting “bug lights” or amber LED lights are available at hardware stores, which are able to light up the outside of your home without attracting bugs or crickets. 

If you want to light up your yard at night and you are using normal lights, make sure the lights are placed far enough away from your house to keep crickets away.

Also, close your blinds and shades at night to keep crickets away from your house’s bright light.

Allow natural predators to thrive in your garden

Lizards and spiders are the natural predators of crickets, so if you allow them to live on your property then they will keep the cricket population down. Cats also kill crickets so try letting your pet out once in a while. 

To keep the population of these predators up then avoid spraying your property with insecticide as these are toxic to lizards and spiders. 

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