How to Kill a Cricket that's Loose in Your House

Last Updated: October 22, 2021

Crickets are found throughout the world, so it is not at all uncommon to come across one in your home. The problem with crickets is that they usually make noise at night while you are trying to sleep. Additionally, they can cause damage to things such as carpet, clothing, and books. If you’ve got a cricket in your home, there are several different ways that you can kill it. Alternatively, you can also try to catch the cricket in a trap. Once you’ve taken care of the cricket, you can work on making your home less hospitable to crickets so you don’t have to deal with the problem in the future.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Luring the Loose Cricket

1
Place cricket traps. Purchase a few sticky traps (typically meant for rats or mice) and place them around your home wherever you believe there might be crickets.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Expert Interview. 20 January 2021.} The crickets will walk over the trap and get stuck.^{[2]
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Research source}
- Placing a bit of cornmeal in the center of each trap will help attract the crickets to the traps.
2
Use a beer can to catch the cricket. Take a can of beer and empty the contents, leaving behind just a few drops. Leave the beer can lying on its side in the area where the crickets are. The crickets will be attracted to the beer and will crawl in the beer to get to the drops left inside, and get stuck inside.^{[3]
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- If you like to fish, you can take the crickets you’ve caught and use them as fish bait. Alternatively, you can cut the can open outside and release the crickets if you want to.
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3
Make a molasses trap. This method will allow you to catch crickets without purchasing commercial sticky traps. Take a clean glass jar and place a generous spoonful inside the jar. Add a bit of water to make the molasses just a bit more runny. Place the open jar in the area where you have heard/seen crickets. The crickets will be attracted to the molasses, and will jump into the jar to get to it.^{[4]
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- The stickiness of the molasses will make it difficult for the crickets to escape.
- Be sure to clean out the jar regularly.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Getting Rid of the Cricket

1
Smash the cricket. This is the most straightforward way to kill a cricket. If you see a cricket that has snuck into your home, and you don’t want to catch it, then simply use something like a shoe or a broom and smash the cricket.
- Try to be as humane as possible when killing the cricket. Give it a few hard smacks so that you can be sure the cricket is dead.
2
Use an insect spray. There are many commercial insecticides readily available. If you have a problem with insects in your home, purchasing a can that you can use to kill a cricket (or any bug that finds its way in) is a good idea.
- Be careful when using a bug spray. After you’ve killed the cricket, dispose of the cricket by using a large wad of toilet paper. Flush the dead cricket down the toilet or throw it in a closed trash can. Clean the area where you’ve sprayed the bug spray with a disinfectant, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
3
Vacuum the cricket up. If you’ve just got one cricket in your house, all you have to do is suck the cricket up with the nozzle. If you are worried that you may have a cricket infestation, vacuum your home thoroughly, and use the nozzle attachment to vacuum underneath the baseboards all around your home. Hopefully, this will suck up any eggs or crickets that might be hiding.^{[5]
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- If you have a bagless vacuum cleaner, be sure to empty the contents of the container in a trash can outside your home. If you have a vacuum cleaner with a bag, replace the bag immediately after you finish. Throw away the used bag in a trash can outdoors and away from your home.
4
Spray the cricket with pepper spray. If you have some pepper spray on hand, then you can quickly kill the cricket by using some of it on the cricket. Pepper spray is deadly to crickets.
- Be careful when using pepper spray. It will be painful for you if you get it near your face. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after using the spray.
5
Place a jar over the cricket. If you’ve only got one cricket in your home, you can catch it easily with a jar. When you find the cricket, place a glass jar quickly over the top of the cricket so that it is trapped inside. Take a thin (but strong) piece of cardboard (a postcard works well, for example) and slide it underneath the opening of the jar. Now you will have a piece of card that you can keep on the top of the jar while you take it outside.
- Take the cricket far away from your house. If you just let the cricket out outside your front door, the cricket will probably try to find a way back in.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Keeping Crickets out of Your Home

1
Get a cat or a dog. Cats and dogs are great for taking care of any unwanted insects that might sneak into your home. They are much better at finding insects than humans, so if there is a cricket hiding in your home, let your pet do the hard work.
- Keep in mind that keeping a pet is a big commitment. You shouldn’t get a cat or dog for the sole purpose of killing crickets.
2
Make your home less appealing. If you have lots of damp areas in your home, identify them, and try to reduce them if possible.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Expert Interview. 20 January 2021.} Crickets love moisture, so fixing any problems that may lead to excess moisture will be important.^{[7]
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Research source}
- Crickets are also attracted to bright lights, so replace any outdoor lights (e.g. porch lights) with yellow bulbs or sodium vapor bulbs that will be less appealing.
- Look for any points of entry as well. For example, maybe there is a window that doesn’t seal shut. Check your door frames to make sure that there are no spots that a cricket could get through.^{[8]
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  Expert Source
  
  Samuel Ramsey, PhD
  Entomologist
  Expert Interview. 20 January 2021.}
3
Hire a pest control company. If you live in an area where insects are a common problem, you can probably find a pest control company that will come and spray your home with an insecticide a few times a year. If you are struggling with a cricket infestation, this may be the easiest way to deal with the problem.
- Make sure that any pest control company you hire is licensed in your state.
- If you have pets, be sure to let the company know, and ask them if their products are safe for humans, children, and pets.

Expert Q&A

Question

Why do I have crickets in 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

Crickets can enter your home through cracks or gaps around the house. If there is a lot of clutter inside, they can find a place to hide. If there are cardboard boxes, they can chew on them. Paper fibers are a source of sugar and food for them. When the boxes become damp micro fungi grow on them. Crickets are attracted to them and consume them. If your house has this sort of environment, crickets may find it a suitable place to live.
Question

How can I get rid of 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

You can seal the cracks through which the crickets enter the house. If there are crickets in the house, you can use sticky traps to capture them. You can also use some insecticides. But those insecticides may kill some beneficial insects also. So it is better to keep the house clean and run a dehumidifier to dry out the air. It will create an environment that is not suitable for them.
Question

Can we change the beer can to something else like a Coke can?

Community Answer

Yes, the cricket should be attracted to the sugar in a soda can as well.

Warnings

If you have used an insecticide to kill crickets, be sure to keep any pets you might have away from the dead crickets, and clean the area thoroughly before letting pets back in. Insecticides can harm or even kill your pets if ingested. If you have children, be sure that they can’t get their hands on the insecticide.

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