The sound of crickets late at night outside your home can sometimes be a peaceful and soothing sound. However, having one or more of those crickets inside of your home can drive even the calmest of people crazy. Here’s what you can do about the crickets inside and outside of your home.
Removal
- Place a small bowl filled with half water and a few spoonfuls of molasses. Crickets are attracted to the sweetness of molasses and will hop right into the bowl. Check and switch out these bowls regularly.
- Sticky traps can be laid out on the floor of rooms that are suspected to house the crickets. Place these traps close to sources of heat and moisture to have a better chance of catching these pests.
- Regularly vacuum your carpeting with a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter to remove any eggs that might’ve been laid. Afterward, seal the vacuum bag and throw it in the garbage outside of your home.
Prevention
- Inspect the inside and outside of your home and look for any cracks, holes, and gaps. Use weatherstripping on windows and doors that have gaps within their frames. For cracks and holes, apply caulking (and sometimes a piece of metal mesh) to seal the opening.
- Regularly take the trash out of your home in sealed and scented garbage bags. Crickets are attracted to the foul smells of your trash. Keep all garbage in a bigger bin outside of your home and always make sure the lid fits securely.
- Crickets love mass vegetation so it’s important to keep up on your landscaping. Regularly mow the lawn, cut down any plants that hug the house, remove leaves from gutters, and keep stacked wood piles away from the house.
The days of hearing loud chirps night after night will soon be a thing of the past! When you need a pest management professional to inspect your home, contact Knockout Pest Control. To learn more, or to schedule an inspection, give us a call at (800) 244-7378.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+!