The endless chirping sounds that emit somewhere in the darkness in the middle night that prevents a comfortable deep sleep from happening to you is something most people have experienced.  The obnoxious chirping sounds of a cricket is a sure sign you have at least one in your home. With preventative pest control, you can deter crickets and enjoy uninterrupted sleep, or at least uninterrupted by crickets.  In Virginia, we at Eagle Pest Services would like to share some brief information concerning the common crickets in the Virginia area. 

 

Field cricket:   Field crickets hatch in spring and the young eat abundantly to grow rapidly.  By adulthood these black insects have dark brown to black colored that have a yellow based and raised black veins. The males have a modified area of the veins, known as the harp, they use to produce a song to attract females.  Field crickets’ diet include broad range of seeds, plants, or living or dead insects in addition to grass.

House cricket:   House crickets are a gray or a dull brownish color. Though males and females look very similar, females will have an ovipositor emerging that emerges from the rear. Surrounded by 2 appendages, the ovipositor is brown-black.

The common name of house crickets is due to their preference of moving indoors and ability to survive indefinitely.  These crickets are responsible for the loud chirping caused from by rubbing their front wings together to attract females.  

Camel cricket:  Sometimes referenced as spider crickets and cave crickets have an arched back and long hind legs.  These thick-bodied and a mottled brown in color insects are scavengers and can be considered beneficial as they the dead insects and such and considering they are not picky eaters and eat anything American cheese to dead fire ants to human feces to fallen fruit.   Where these insects seem harmless, they can l eat through everything from wallpaper glue to wool to silk, attract hungry scorpions and spiders, as well as keep you awake with all the chirping.

 

Crickets in general live in voids, such as under decorative boulders in the landscaping, in sprinkler valve boxes, under patios and sidewalks for example.  Cool, moist areas are where crickets tend to hide.  Keeping your home well sealed with caulk or expansion foam as applicable as well as weather stripping can help prevent the crickets from invading. Ensure the ventilation, utility, and plumbing are covered with an approved mesh covering and the windows and doors have screens installed and are of great condition.

 

With the help of Eagle Pest Services in addition to your efforts, we can significantly reduce or even prevent crickets from slipping inside your Virginia home.  Our specialists can also take care of any current cricket infestations you are facing.  Our products are effective on crickets and can eliminate them relatively quickly.  Call Eagle Pest Services today to schedule your preventative pest control or to handle any current infestation.  We will quickly respond to your location to deal with your pest problems.