You might not have seen them yourself, but the chances are good that you’ve heard the telltale chirping of crickets coming from the nearby woods. These tiny insects are an essential part of the forest ecosystem and play vital roles in the food chain and the decomposition process.
However, the problem with crickets comes when you begin to hear them inside your house. These insects can be a real nuisance, and getting rid of them can be a real challenge. Sometimes it’s even hard to understand how they got into your house in the first place, especially if you don’t leave your doors or windows open.
So, how do crickets find their way in when the doors and windows are closed. Can crickets come in through the vents? Well, that’s what we are discussing today. Make sure you follow to the end.
Is It Possible For Crickets To Come Through Vents?
Yes, crickets can come through vents. Crickets are tiny insects, and they can squeeze through small openings. That means vents, which are typically much larger than the insects themselves, can provide an easy way for them to get into your home.
To begin with, cricket infestation can be a real problem. These critters are noisy, but they can also damage your belongings and contaminate your food. That’s why once you notice that there are crickets in your house, you should take steps to get rid of them.
And just to prepare you, crickets can be pretty stubborn to eliminate. You just can’t compare them to other pests like rats. No, not at all! And the fact that they move by hopping means that you almost can’t kill one by stepping on it. They just move out of the way at the last second.
So, if you’re dealing with a cricket infestation, know the correct way of getting rid of them. Now, we’ll be discussing that later on. But before we get there, we have a few other essential things to unveil.
Fun Fact 1: Only male crickets of some species chirp and do it using their leathery wings.
What Attracts Crickets To Your House?
Crickets are attracted to your house for various reasons. The most common cause of their invasion is, of course, food. Like any other living being on this planet, crickets need food to survive. And since your house is full of it, it makes sense that they would be attracted to it.
Crickets don’t just invade your home for no reason. After all, they thrive better in the outdoor environment. Hence, they are after something specific when they come into your house. And most of the time, that thing is food.
And when we say food, it’s worth mentioning that these insects have a wide range of diets. They’ll eat plants and a variety of dead insects, including other crickets. And that’s not all, your best fabric and carpet also make a good meal for them.
Actually, the favorite food for crickets when they get into your home is silk, wool, cotton, and other synthetic fabrics. So, if you have these materials in your house, it’s likely that the crickets will be attracted to it.
Another reason crickets might come to your house is because of the temperature. As much as they love spending time outdoors, the outside conditions don’t always replicate the love. Sometimes things out there will get too hot or too cold for them. And when that happens, they start looking for a place to hide.
Your house can provide the perfect hiding spot for them. After all, it’s warm and comfortable inside, and there are plenty of places for them to hide. So, if the temperature outside is not ideal for crickets, they might just end up in your house.
Finally, crickets will come into your house following the light. It’s only natural for most insects to be drawn toward light.
Fun Fact 2: The chirps you hear are male crickets singing “love songs” to attract the females for mating.
How Do Crickets Get Into The House?
Crickets will get into your house through doors, windows, and vents. However, other potential entry points include cracks in the foundation, gaps around electrical outlets, and any other small openings.
Crickets aren’t as large as rats or mice. Hence, they can fit through tiny openings, and that’s why it’s essential to check all potential entry points and seal them off. Otherwise, the little stubborn beings will just keep coming into your house.
Of course, doors and windows are the most common entry points. You have no option but to keep them closed when necessary. You may also need to use screens to keep them alongside other bugs out.
But again, you have to be vigilant concerning any small openings. These need to be sealed as quickly as possible. You can use several materials for this, including caulk, expandable foam, and weatherstripping.
As long as you do the prevention job perfectly, you won’t have to worry about crickets or other insects getting into your house.
Fun Fact 3: Crickets are a symbol of good luck in Chinese culture.
How To Get Rid of Crickets In The House?
There’s no single way to get rid of crickets. For you to effectively keep them from your space, it calls for collective effort. You’ll have to address the problem from different angles.
However, some effective ways of eliminating these insects include;
1. Sealing All The Possible Entry Points
The first thing you need to do is find all the potential entry points and seal them off. Crickets can fit through tiny openings that you don’t even expect, so checking every nook and cranny is imperative.
And as said, you can use several materials to seal off entry points. That includes caulk, expandable foam, and weatherstripping. Just make sure that all potential entry points are sealed off tightly.
2. Get The Lighting Right
One of the main reasons crickets come into your house is that they’re attracted to light. So, if you want to keep them out, you need to get the lighting right.
Use outdoor lights that are less likely to attract insects, such as yellow Compact fluorescent lights (CFL). And if possible, try to keep the lights off altogether.
3. Proper Garden Maintenance
Another way to deter crickets is to maintain your garden correctly. Mowing will make your garden less attractive to crickets and other insects. Keep the grass short and tidy, and remove any potential hiding spots.
4. Use DIY Deterrents
You can use many DIY deterrents to keep crickets out of your house. One of the most effective is a mixture of chili powder, blended garlic, dish soap, and water.
Spray this mixture into the cricket’s favorite hiding spots, and they should stay away.
5. Trap and Release Them
As much as they can symbolize good luck in some cultures, we must all agree that the nuisance these little creatures bring is too much for some of us.
If you want to get rid of crickets without killing them, trapping is the way to go. The trap options to use here go as far as your imagination. You can use a jar, a cup, or even a cardboard box – basically anything that will allow the cricket to crawl in but won’t let it crawl out.
Add some bait to the trap, such as a piece of fruit or a drop of honey, and place it in an area where you’ve seen crickets. Once the cricket is trapped, release it into the wild far away from your house.
6. Maintain Cleanliness
Finally, it’s crucial to maintain a clean and clutter-free environment. Cleanliness will make it less attractive to crickets and other bugs attracted to mess.
And when we say that you should maintain cleanliness, we don’t just mean inside the house. You have to also pay attention to the gutters and other areas outside the home that can be potential breeding grounds for crickets.
Fun Fact 4: Crickets only chirp when the temperature is between 55 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Are Crickets Active At Night?
Crickets are nocturnal creatures, so they’re most active at night. As such, once they find their way into your house, it could be time you bid goodbye to hours of peaceful sleep until the day they come out of it.
I guess you’ve heard the loud, persistent cricket chirps during the late afternoon hours. However, that doesn’t mean that they’re most active during that time.
Naturally, crickets are nocturnal beings, meaning that they’re more active at night. It’s when the night falls that these creatures begin to look for food and mates. So, if you hear cricket chirps at night, just know they aren’t trying to get stubborn, they’re just trying to be in their absolute self.
Fun Fact 5: Crickets have their ears next to the legs.
How To Get Rid of Crickets Noise At Night?
You can get rid of crickets’ noise at night by getting rid of the insect itself, soundproofing your home, using white noise, and several other ways. It all depends on what method works best for you.
As said, crickets become more active when it gets dark outside. That’s when they’ll make that sleep-shattering noise that has been robbing you of quality sleep.
Fortunately, there are a couple of ways you can use to get rid of the cricket and its noise at night.
Here are several;
1. Getting Rid of The Cricket Itself
They say that the best way to deal with a problem is to nip it in the bud. The same goes for getting rid of a cricket’s noise at night.
To avoid that irritating sound, eliminate the source in the first place. Although this may not be the easiest thing to do, it’s still the most effective method.
2. Soundproof Your Home
If you can’t seem to find the cricket, your next best bet is to soundproof your home. This will help to muffle the noise and make it tolerable enough for you to sleep through the night.
You may also consider using noise-blocking curtains at the window, especially if the noise is coming from outside.
3. Use White Noise
If the previous methods don’t seem to work, you can try using white noise. White noise is a sound that helps to mask other background sounds.
As such, it will help to cover the cricket’s chirping noise and make it less noticeable. You can use a white noise machine or even an app on your phone.
4. Create Your Own World
You can consider isolating your ears from the source of the noise. Noise-canceling headphones, earplugs, and sleeping earmuffs are all effective methods you can use.
With these methods, you can effectively block out the cricket’s noise and get some well-deserved sleep.
Fun Fact 6: We have some “silent” cricket species.
Final Verdict
Crickets are lovely creatures with some interesting facts. However, their noise can be quite annoying, especially at night when you’re trying to sleep.
Fortunately, there are a couple of ways you can use to get rid of the cricket and its noise at night. But if it’s possible to prevent them from coming to your house in the first place, then that’s even better.