Cricket Species in Hampton Roads
Several cricket species commonly invade homes in our area, each with different habits and concerns.
House Crickets are light brown and known for their loud, repetitive chirping, especially at night. They are attracted to warmth and frequently enter homes in the fall. House crickets can damage fabrics, paper, and wallpaper when indoor populations are established.
Field Crickets are dark brown to black and are one of the most abundant cricket species in Hampton Roads. They are strongly attracted to lights and gather in large numbers around exterior lighting and illuminated entry points. While they prefer to live outdoors, they regularly enter homes through open doors and gaps in the building envelope.
Camel Crickets, also called cave crickets or spider crickets, are wingless, humpbacked crickets that prefer cool, dark, damp environments. They are commonly found in basements, crawl spaces, garages, and utility rooms. Camel crickets do not chirp but their sudden jumping behavior startles most people who encounter them.
What Attracts Crickets Indoors
Crickets are drawn to homes by light, warmth, and moisture. Exterior lighting is one of the biggest attractants, as it draws crickets close to the home where they find gaps and openings to enter. Tall grass, dense vegetation, and ground cover near the foundation provide harborage and create a pathway into the structure. High moisture areas like leaky basements and damp crawl spaces are especially attractive to camel crickets.
Professional Cricket Control
Our cricket control program targets the areas where crickets harbor and the entry points they use to get inside. Perimeter treatments around the foundation, windows, doors, and garage entries create a barrier that significantly reduces the number of crickets entering the home. Interior treatments address existing populations in basements, crawl spaces, and other problem areas.
We also provide recommendations for reducing attractants, including switching to yellow or sodium vapor exterior lighting, trimming vegetation away from the foundation, and addressing moisture issues in crawl spaces and basements.
For ongoing cricket prevention, our cricket control services can be incorporated into a quarterly pest control plan that addresses crickets along with other seasonal pests.
