During the summer, swarms of crickets can invade your neighborhood. You can hear them chirping about all night, but they become a real problem when they get into the house!
So, how do you get rid of crickets? Luckily, you have a few ways to do it, including pre-made traps and DIY bait like molasses.
While you can use sprays, these are not healthy to have floating around the air inside your home. Another thing to know is that there are different types of crickets and getting rid of each type can vary.
In our guide, you can learn the various crickets you can find around your home and what to do to stop them from jumping on your furniture and causing damage. (Read What Attracts Crickets In The House?)
By the end, you’ll be well-armed with information and know-how to get rid of crickets in the basement.
Types of Crickets Inside Your Home
Before you learn how to get rid of crickets in a house, it’s good to understand the types you can face, which ones are likely to come into your home from the outdoor, and why they do so.
Field Crickets
The chirping of field crickets is well known and is associated with the sounds of warm summer nights. This cricket species make their homes in the ground, tall grass, and even lawn garbage piles.
They’re harmless and eat mostly animal and plant waste. They can help in the garden by eating the pupae of certain insect pests. However, in large numbers, they can harm ornamental and vegetable plants. Field crickets are typically black and range from one and a half to two inches.
Mole Crickets
Mole Crickets look like a cross between a cricket and lobster. They are brown/black and usually an inch or two. They are common in the United States’ southeastern region, where you can find a cricket infestation on your lawn and where they cause significant damage.
House Crickets
House Crickets are loud chirpers and can invade homes. They are yellowish-brown with a dark cross-band on their heads. Size-wise, they are barely 3/4 to 7/8 inches long.
House Crickets antennae are usually longer than the rest of their body, which is their most distinguishing feature. Why do they make such a lot of chirping noises? To attract a female, male house crickets brush their back legs together.
Camelback Crickets
Camelback or Camel crickets, Spider crickets, cave crickets, and more are found living in caves. The crickets are nocturnal insects and are known to intrude in homes. Colors range from pale tan to dark brown, and they are typically 1-1 1/4″ long.
Camel crickets don’t have wings and are omnivorous and eat everything from plant debris to fungus to other insects or fabrics. They are found all over, and you can find them in your garage, crawlspace, or basement as they like moist, dark, and damp environments.
The Spotted Camel Crickets are the most common species in the US, although the number of Japanese camel crickets increases.
Why Are There Crickets in My Basement?
You may head down to your home’s basement to find you’re not alone; there is something else there with you. As you move a box, a cricket appears, and then you soon notice there are more of them all over. Crickets are common in basements, so don’t be surprised when you have a cricket infestation to deal with. (Learn How To Get A Bird Out Of Your House)
Here are some reasons you get crickets in your basement.
Shelter
Like most pests, crickets are in the basement; basements are typically dark and moist, providing shelter and warmth. Before the temperature drops in the late fall, most crickets try to make their way indoors. Even finished basements will contain areas of clutter, which will attract pests.
Food
Crickets invade your home for a variety of reasons, including the hunt for food. They eat other, smaller insects, bugs, and home goods like fabric and cloth once they get inside. Because basements usually include a wide range of things, crickets soon set up homes to survive. Fungus grows on damp basement walls, providing another tasty treat for the crickets.
Size
The camel cricket is the type of cricket you’ll discover in your basement. Because of their ability to get anyplace, they are troublesome. They have no solid body structure beneath their exoskeleton.
This means they can crawl through the smallest of entry points. They can squeeze through cracks in walls, foundations, or other routes that have direct access to your basement from the outdoors. (Read our Neem Oil For Bed Bugs Guide)
Getting Rid of Crickets
One thing is finding crickets; another is getting them out. Start by cleaning and vacuum visible areas to get rid of food sources. Sticky traps can be used, yet you need to start by taking the time to cricket-proof your home and stop an infestation.
- Seal Entry Points: Caulk any holes or cracks you find in your home. A cricket may crawl through the smallest hole, so restore or replace a ripped window, door, or vent screen. Check your home’s masonry or siding, as well as your window and door frames.
- Reduce Moisture: Crickets love moisture, so keeping it to a minimum would help keep them away. Inspect for leaky pipes or faucets in your home. Most places, such as basements, use a dehumidifier.
- Outdoor Care: Keep your lawn and foliage mowed and trimmed regularly. Place your woodpiles away from your home’s sides. Grass clippings, leaf litter, and weeds should all be removed from the yard.
- Protective Barrier: Crickets can be kept out of your home using a plant-based insecticide spray or a DIY insect repellent spray. Some repel crickets from your home and keep them outside rather than in, while others can kill them on touch.
- Plant-Based Insecticide Dust: This insect dust can be strewn near your house to kill or deter crickets from going any farther.
What is a natural way to get rid of crickets?
Crickets chirp their distinctive song in the summer, and in small numbers, they are quite harmless. However, once they reproduce inside the house, they can cause damage to paper, clothing, furniture, and even walls.
Cricket Bait
Cricket bait is a great way to catch them. The most efficient immediate solution for enticing crickets from corners and cracks is to use this simple method.
Fill a shallow bowl halfway with water and place a couple of spoonfuls of molasses. Place the bowl in the room where the cricket problem exists. Crickets love molasses, and when they smell it, they rush into the bowl. Empty the bowl regularly.
Chemical cricket bait is available in hardware stores and uses in a similar method to catch crickets. If you use this type of bait, keep your family and pets away because it is poisonous.
Sticky Traps
Non-toxic sticky paper glue traps are a terrific pest control method to catch crickets and bugs. This is especially wise if you have young children or dogs who are sensitive to bug spray. Place cricket traps inside and near trouble areas such as walls, windows, and doorways. The closer these insect routes are near heat and moisture, the more likely they will attract trespassing crickets.
Bug Sprays
Most pest control bug sprays effectively kill crickets. Spray in corners, along windowsills, and other places where you’ve spotted an infestation with an all-purpose spray or one created specifically for crickets. Because these sprays contain toxic substances, use caution when using them.
Get Rid of Cricket Eggs
Crickets may lay eggs within the home, causing an infestation to spiral out of control quickly.
Using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, vacuum the area. This high-powered equipment will extract the eggs from the carpet or any other location where they may have been placed. Put the vacuumed contents in a sealed plastic bag and throw it away.
Most pest control sprays used on live crickets will also keep cricket’s eggs from hatching. Spray along the baseboards and trim, where crickets lay eggs to keep crickets under control.
Deal with Your Trash
Crickets are drawn to the smells of trash. Crickets will not breed on your property or enter your home if you cover trash outside in a sealed container.
Trim Vegetation
Cut the amount of vegetation. Crickets make their nests amid tall grasses and other vegetation life. Make sure grass-like plants are at least a few feet away from your house so that any crickets that may nest there have no easy access to your home. Wood piles, mulch piles, and compost piles should all be kept at a safe distance from your house.
Bright Lighting
Remove any bright lights from the room. Crickets are drawn to bright lights, so if you light your house with powerful lamps at night, you may be attracting them in.
Hardware stores sell lower-lighting “bug lights” or amber LED lights. These aren’t meant to attract crickets or other insects. If you want to light up your yard at night, place sure the lights are far enough away from your house to avoid attracting crickets.
At night, close your blinds and shades to keep the bright light from your house from attracting crickets.
Welcome Natural Predators
Natural predators should be allowed to thrive. Because lizards and spiders are natural cricket predators, allowing them to live on your property will automatically limit the number of crickets.
Insecticides are toxic to cricket predators, so avoid spraying them inside your property. Natural cricket predators include cats and birds. Allow your cat to go outdoors and consider putting up a bird feeder.
