Crickets are sometimes nuisances in buildings. Infestations are generally seasonal. Most often problems occur during the fall as evenings become cooler and the insects seek buildings for warmth and shelter. Crickets may also cause damage to fabrics or other materials. Occasionally they invade structures in large numbers. They are often attracted to lights around a building at night. Besides the damage they may cause, they produce a chirping sound that may become very annoying to inhabitants.
Crickets are related to grasshoppers. They do not have a complete metamorphosis, so the young resemble the adults, except they do not have functional wings. The most common crickets to invade structures include the house cricket and the field cricket, which are very similar in appearance.
House crickets range in length from 1/2" - 3/4". They may be light yellowish brown with three dark bands on the head or they may be solid shiny black. This species has long, slender antennae. The field cricket is slightly larger, up to 1" long, and usually brown or black. Females of both species have a long, thin ovipositor projecting from the tip of the abdomen.
Crickets usually over-winter in the egg stage. Outdoors, house crickets lay up to 725 eggs and produce only 1 generation per year. Field crickets lay 150 - 400 eggs and may produce 3 generations per year. House crickets may also deposit eggs indoors in sheltered areas, such as crevices and behind baseboards. When this occurs, only about 100 eggs are deposited.
Outdoors around buildings, crickets are typically found in moist situations such as mulch areas, plant beds, and around and under woodpiles, stones and debris. They feed on plants or dead or live insects. They often enter homes seeking moisture. When they invade homes, many kinds of clothing or carpets may be damaged. Favorite fabrics include wool, cotton, silk and synthetics. Clothing soiled with perspiration or stains are especially attractive to crickets. They eat out large areas of fabric, as opposed to small holes typical of moths.
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