TOP 16 methods to get rid of a cricket in an apartment and house
If you believe folk omens, insects that look like grasshoppers and make pleasant sounds bring good luck and wealth to owners. But the melodious bug over time begins to annoy, and the owner worries about how to get rid of the cricket in the house, although its appearance promises happiness. The insect is heat-loving, breeds at temperatures above 20 ° C, feeds on food scraps, feasts on cockroaches, feels comfortable both in private houses and in city apartments.
Description and characteristics of the insect
The cricket, which lived in the desert climate of Asia and Africa, quickly spread to all continents.
Appearance
The body length of a beetle with developed and strong wings does not exceed 2.5 cm. Insects have different colors, some individuals are completely light, others have a dark brown tint.Of the three pairs of legs, the hind legs are used for jumping. The female cricket lays several hundred eggs from which wingless larvae emerge. The insect lives up to 4 months, then dies.
How to recognize by sound
Heat and food attract insects to human homes. The monotonous trills emitted by crickets at night when awake are very annoying, but catching a moving insect is not easy.
How and why they sing
With sounds that do not allow people to sleep, males attract females during the mating season, mark the boundaries of the territory so that the enemy does not claim it. On the wings of an insect there are folds, which when touched vibrate and a chirping sound is heard.
Reasons for the appearance
In the south, crickets are comfortable in natural conditions, in the northern regions and in temperate latitudes, in the fall insects move to heating pipes, basements, winter in houses and apartments.
Light
Although the crickets sleep during the day, having found a secluded place, they become active at night, hunt for food, fight enemies who have come to their territory, and bright light attracts melodious insects to people's homes.
Garbage smell
Leftover food in a warm room quickly begins to rot, crickets, having felt a specific aroma, go to the place where the smell comes from, because they do not mind eating spoiled food.
high humidity
Even insects that have long lived in the desert regions of Asia and Africa, where it is dry and hot, there is practically no rain, seek moisture and find it in basements and houses .
Open the windows
Crickets easily crawl through microscopic cracks, open windows and doors attract curious insects.
How to get rid of
If the monotonous melody that is heard every evening is frightening, the person forgets the omens and only dreams that the singing will finally stop. However, annoying insects feel the slightest vibration in the air and hide in cracks from where they cannot be reached.
Traditional methods
It is possible to control crickets without using poison and hazardous household chemicals. For a long time, people have known recipes to help eliminate insects.
Molasses and lemon balm
Insects are not averse to eating food, they love sweets, but they are very fast, when they see a person, they hide in the cracks. Attract crickets by pouring molasses into a deep bowl. Insects will climb on it to taste the delicacy, insects cannot climb.
burning sealing wax
The easiest way to determine the exact spot the candles have chosen is by the monotonous sounds made by the males. To force insects out of the house, it is necessary to light sealing wax near the crack where unwanted guests have settled. The resins present there are not tolerated by crickets.
Shut off all water sources
Insects usually settle in the bathroom or kitchen near faucets because they like humidity. In a dry room, insects feel uncomfortable. Without access to water for a long time, they die.
Chemical products
If folk recipes do not give a positive result, and crickets continue to disturb their singing, you need to take stricter measures.
Bait
When the insects begin to multiply, pyrethrum powder, which can be purchased at the pharmacy, is poured into the places where they are most abundant. To attract crickets, a saucer or bowl of milk is placed under the container and sweet corn flakes are poured into it. Alcohol is poured into the upper compartment. The insects will not refuse the treat, but they will die from the vapors of the medicine.
Sticky strips
Duct tape can help you deal with annoying monotonous crickets. It hangs in different places around the house.
Mechanical method
The surest way to finish off a cricket is to hit a bug with any object within reach, but hitting a fast bug isn't that easy.
A vacuum
To combat annoying guests, they use household appliances. As the insects crawl into cracks from which they cannot be removed, they turn on the vacuum cleaner, under powerful air pressure they pull the crickets into the filter.
Jar
People with a broken psyche cannot stand the monotonous song of a jumping insect and try to find a method that will eliminate insects forever. If crickets just appeared, after finding individuals, you need to cover them with a jar, and then destroy them. With a large number of insects, neither duct tape, nor wormwood decoctions, nor sweet traps are very useful in the fight against bedbugs.
Effective remedies to opt out
Larvae are destroyed, adults are killed by chemicals, but they are also dangerous for humans, the treatment of places where crickets accumulate should be done with gloves, and the house should be well ventilated.
"Dr Claus"
The insecticide spray can control wasps and mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches, fleas and crickets. The preparation contains active ingredients in the form of:
- synergist;
- lambda cyhalothrin;
- stabilizer.
The spray is sprayed on areas where insects are found. The tool destroys both larvae and eggs.
"Universal dichlorvos"
An organophosphate insecticide is sold in aluminum cans ranging from 180 to 500 mg. The aerosol disinfects the premises from pests and insects with closed vents and doors. Spray on the site from a distance of 20 cm, do not ventilate the house for 2 hours. "Dichlorvos" contains alkaloids, alcohol, cypermethrin.
The benefits of an insecticide include:
- at low price;
- lack of dependence on insects;
- exposure speed.
A medium pack is enough to handle the whole house. The preparation destroys all types of parasites.
"Tornado"
The insecticide is sold in plastic spray bottles. When sprayed, it kills cockroaches, crickets, spiders. It is necessary to work with the agent "Tornado" in gloves, to protect the respiratory tract with a respirator.
"Raid"
The aerosol is produced on the basis of organophosphorus compounds and acts on the insect on contact. The insecticide penetrates through the chitinous membrane into the individual's body and paralyzes the nervous system.
Using a sprayer, the product gets into hard-to-reach places where crickets and bed bugs settle, leaving no residue after application.
destruction of nests
In order to permanently get rid of insects, to prevent a secondary appearance, it is necessary to process all the cracks in the floor or walls, the corners where crickets lay eggs, and get rid of the larvae.
What places should be checked
To find the nests of an insect that is bored with its song, it is not necessary to deeply study its habits, know the cycles and features of reproduction.
Basement check
In the heat, crickets seek moisture and coolness. In multi-storey buildings there are enough areas in which candles feel comfortable. Cricket nests are most often found in basements by service workers who are called in for disinfection.
cracks in the house
Insects crawl into cracks in walls, floors and settle in furniture. To find nests, you need to look under sofas, kitchen utensils, in each location.
skirting boards
Insects that appear in an apartment or house begin to multiply and spoil furniture, starting with food, wooden surfaces. You can find crickets under the baseboards in the cracks.
Disposal methods
Having found insect nests, you should immediately try to destroy them yourself or call a service employee who disinfects the premises.
Maximum speed vacuum cleaner
The female cricket lays hundreds of eggs at a time, from which a new generation develops, resulting in the next generation.
To destroy nests, you need to turn on the vacuum cleaner at full power and go through cracks, cracks, floors.
Specialist
Dealing with crickets living in a high-rise building is more difficult than in a private house. To combat insect nests, in this case, invite a specialist who disinfects basements, stairs, treats places where pests accumulate with special means.
Animals
Cats and dogs have a good sense of smell and often destroy bird and insect nests. By observing the behavior of the animal, the owner can detect the gap inhabited by the crickets and destroy them.
Treatment with a special spray
To force insects out of the basement, to crawl under baseboards, spray a can of insecticide. These products are produced in aerosol and spray form and are easy to use.
Prophylaxis
Crickets are attracted to the smell of rotten food, no need to keep leftover food in the kitchen, the trash can must be closed. To avoid the appearance of insects:
- All the cracks in the house are sealed.
- Try not to use bright light.
- Cleaning is carried out regularly.
Deal with bird pests. If you equip a birdhouse, attract birds, crickets will not start in your house.
Tips & Tricks
Even if the windows and doors are closed, insects enter the apartment through the cracks in the openings and frames, there should be no cracks. In the warm season, preventive measures should be taken repeatedly. Crickets do not like the bite, the smell of wormwood and lavender.