Closely related to the Cockroaches, most species of cricket live outdoors, only rarely entering premises. One species, however; the House Cricket, may live within buildings throughout the year. 16mm long and yellow-brown with darker markings on head and thorax it favours warm, humid locations such as the heating duct systems of hospitals.
They are less common in domestic households than they once were, largely due to the loss of the traditional fireplace. They are nocturnal and are considered a pest mainly because of the chirping of the males, produced by their front wings being rubbed together. They may damage foodstuffs and fabrics.
How to get rid of Crickets
Like Cockroaches, they can be difficult to eradicate. Suitably labelled sprays and powders applied to harbourages will help. However, control is seldom easy because of the difficulty of getting the insecticide to the insect. The insecticide, ideally, should have sufficient persistence to kill the nymphs hatching later from un-hatched egg capsules.
For any Cricket infestation, we would always recommend contacting a professional pest control company, preferably a member of the BPCA. They are trained and will have access to a range of professional use insecticides which are not available to the public.
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