How to Get Rid of Crickets

Last Updated: September 16, 2021 Approved

Crickets ring in summertime with their characteristic singing, and in small numbers they are quite harmless. When they start reproducing inside the house, however, they can damage paper products, clothing, furniture and even walls. Learn how to take a few simple measures to control your property's cricket population and prevent them from overrunning your basement.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Removing Crickets from Your House

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Catch them with cricket bait. This easy method for luring crickets from corners and crevices is the most effective immediate solution.^{[1]
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- Place a few spoonfuls of molasses in a shallow bowl, and fill it halfway up with water. Set the bowl in the room where you have a cricket problem. Crickets love molasses, and they'll hop into the bowl when they smell it. Empty the bowl frequently.
- Chemical cricket bait is sold in hardware stores, and uses the same basic method to catch crickets. If you use this type of bait, make sure your family and pets don't go near it, since it is toxic.
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Set traps. Sticky glue traps are a great non-toxic way to catch crickets.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Expert Interview. 20 January 2021.} This is especially wise if you have young children or pets that will be sensitive to often poisonous bug spray. Place the cricket traps along problem areas, like walls, windows or doorways. The closer to heat and moisture these insect passages are, the more likely they are to attract the trespassing crickets.^{[3]
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3
Use bug spray. Most bug sprays effectively get rid of crickets. Choose an all-purpose spray or one made specifically for crickets, and spray in corners, along windowsills, and in other places where you've noticed an infestation. Be careful when you use these sprays, since they contain toxic chemicals.^{[4]
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Remove the eggs. Crickets may lay eggs inside the home, which could cause the infestation to rapidly get out of control.
- Try vacuuming the area with a vacuum cleaner that has a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. These are high-powered machines that will pull the eggs from the carpet or wherever they may have been laid. Throw away the vacuumed contents in a sealed plastic bag.
- Most sprays used on live crickets will also kill the eggs. Spray along trim and baseboards, where crickets usually lay eggs.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Removing Cricket Nesting Areas

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Seal your home. The easiest method for avoiding cricket infestations within your home is to prevent them from ever entering your home by sealing your windows and doors. They're able to get through the smallest cracks, so make sure you check carefully for areas where they might be able to come in or build a nest.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Expert Interview. 20 January 2021.}
- Eliminate tiny crevices by caulking windows and cracks in your walls.
- You can buy an attachment to affix to the bottom of your doors to create a seal that prevents crickets from squeezing under them.
- Make sure your vents have screens.
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Seal your trash. Trash smells attract crickets. Covering up trash outside in a sealed container will deter crickets from breeding on your property and entering your home.
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Cut back vegetation. Crickets build their nests in tall grasses and other vegetation. Keep your plants trimmed back and your lawn mowed so they won't have a place to nest.
- Make sure grass-like plants are several feet from your house, so crickets that might nest there don't have easy access to your home.
- Trim back ivy and other ground cover.
- Wood piles, mulch piles, and compost piles should be located well away from your house.
- Check your drains and roof gutters for leaves and other plant debris that might have piled up. Crickets often nest in these areas.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making Your Property Inhospitable to Crickets

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Remove bright lights. Crickets are attracted to lights, and if you light your house at night with strong lamps, you might be luring them toward your house.^{[7]
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- Lower-light "bug lights" or amber LED lights can be purchased at hardware stores. These are designed not to attract crickets and other bugs.
- If you light your yard at night, place the lights well away from your house so that they aren't drawing crickets inside.
- Draw your blinds and shades at night so the bright glow from your house won't attract crickets.
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Allow natural predators to thrive. Lizards and spiders are natural cricket predators, so if you allow them to live on your property, they will naturally control your cricket population.
- Avoid spraying your property with insecticide, which is toxic to cricket predators.
- Cats and birds are also natural cricket predators. Let your cat outdoors, and consider installing a bird feeder.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I stop crickets from getting inside of my house?

Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Dr. Samuel Ramsey is an Entomologist and a researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Ramsey has extensive knowledge of symbiosis and specializes in insect disease spread, parasite behavior, mutualism development, biological control, invasive species ecology, pollinator health, and insect pest control. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entomology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Ramsey’s research on bees has enabled researchers to develop targeted control techniques to restore honey bee populations worldwide. He also hosts a YouTube series called “Dr. Buggs.”

Samuel Ramsey, PhD

Entomologist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

One of the clearest reasons why people have homes full of crickets is that they have pest entry points on the outside of their home that allow these organisms to easily get inside. These can be cracks in the foundation, breaks around the pipe that hoses are attached to, broken grout around bricks, etc. Sealing up these entry points can prevent crickets from getting inside.
Question

What attracts crickets?

Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Dr. Samuel Ramsey is an Entomologist and a researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Ramsey has extensive knowledge of symbiosis and specializes in insect disease spread, parasite behavior, mutualism development, biological control, invasive species ecology, pollinator health, and insect pest control. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entomology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Ramsey’s research on bees has enabled researchers to develop targeted control techniques to restore honey bee populations worldwide. He also hosts a YouTube series called “Dr. Buggs.”

Samuel Ramsey, PhD

Entomologist

Expert Answer

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Clutter, especially cardboard boxes. They love to chew on cardboard boxes. They can feed on the paper fibers that the cardboard is made out of as a good source of sugar and food for them. In addition to that, when cardboard is allowed to sit for long periods of time, especially if it gets a bit damp, small amounts of micro-fungi grow on it that the crickets are attracted to. A warm, humid basement with cardboard boxes is a great place for crickets to hang out.
Question

Will spraying insecticide around the perimeter of my home help?

Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Dr. Samuel Ramsey is an Entomologist and a researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Ramsey has extensive knowledge of symbiosis and specializes in insect disease spread, parasite behavior, mutualism development, biological control, invasive species ecology, pollinator health, and insect pest control. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entomology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Ramsey’s research on bees has enabled researchers to develop targeted control techniques to restore honey bee populations worldwide. He also hosts a YouTube series called “Dr. Buggs.”

Samuel Ramsey, PhD

Entomologist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Most pesticides that can be sprayed outside of the home are broad-spectrum insecticides, which means they can impact hundreds of different species of insects. If you're spraying them directly on the soil, you can expect that you're going to kill a lot of beneficial insects in addition to the crickets themselves. So I don't recommend it. It is typically better to simply prevent the crickets from getting inside.

Warnings

Be careful introducing strong insecticides to your household. Make sure children and pets stay away from sprayed areas.

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