A person using repellent to get rid of crickets.
Getting rid of crickets in a home or office can be done with traps, chemicals, or by introducing predators. The best method generally depends on your situation and the severity of the infestation. Once the crickets have gone out, don’t forget to check the prevention measures: if they have entered once, they are likely to enter again. To really get rid of crickets once and for all, you’ll need to stop their entry into the source.
food bait
There are several methods to get rid of crickets.
Setting up food traps is often one of the easiest ways to get rid of crickets, and in most cases this can be done with common household items. Mixing a small amount of molasses and water in a deep bowl is usually very effective. Crickets will be attracted to the sweet smell, but will fall off and suffocate.
The so-called “drop trap” works in a similar way, but can be a bit more difficult to set up. You will need a two-tier container or a glass that you can balance on top of a small bowl. Put a sweet food, like a sugary cereal or some sweetened milk, in the lower container. on top, pour grain alcohol. The crickets will smell the food and fly into the alcohol to get it. This will usually kill them. It is important that alcohol is used here, as crickets can often escape from running water. Water also won’t kill them if they inhale it, but alcohol, like molasses, usually will.
sticky traps
Several commercial manufacturers sell professional-grade sticky traps that can be used successfully. Most of them are made with pheromones, hormones that are attractive to crickets but virtually undetectable to humans. When crickets detect these hormones in the air, they fly toward you, often ending up stuck to the sticky paper that’s stuck on. These types of traps often get a lot of flak from animal rights activists because they don’t actually kill crickets; instead, they immobilize them, leading them to a slow and often prolonged death, often by starvation.
chemical sprays
Some people have good luck spraying invasive crickets with professional-grade insecticides, most of which are made with a variety of different chemicals. They are generally very effective at killing bugs on contact, but tend to work best for only minor intrusions. It can be difficult to get rid of crickets this way if there are entire swarms going down at once, as it is very labor intensive. It can also be inaccurate, as the remaining crickets will just cruise around the dead. Spraying too many chemicals can also be harmful to humans if inhaled and is rarely recommended for families with small children or pets.
natural predators
Cats, lizards and birds are natural predators of the cricket and can be an easy and safe way to get rid of the insects in no time. House cats and domesticated birds are usually the best options, as they can be easily kept under control; Lizards are most effective when someone can keep an eye on their whereabouts. Lizards left alone tend to wander or get lost.
preventing entry
One of the best ways to get rid of crickets is to stop them in the first place. Homeowners should be careful to look for cracks in the caulking or underlayment around their homes. Even small openings around doors and windows can allow crickets to enter, so they should be repaired or plugged in immediately.
Ensuring that rubbish is not piled up against the outside of the building can also help keep crickets out. It’s a good idea to trim tall grass and nearby weeds and quickly move yard waste to the perimeter of your property.