Description:
Adults are about 3/4" long. Their bodies are a light tannish brown with 3 dark bands on the head and long thin antennae. They are nocturnal, primarily active at night or in dark areas. The chirping is caused by the male cricket rubbing underdeveloped wing pads together to attract a mate. The female cricket has a long, thin arrow shaped "ovipositor" attached to it's abdomen which it injects into dark moist areas such as soil or mulch to lay her eggs.

Habitat:
The House Cricket is the most common cricket to invade Arizona homes. When present in large numbers crickets are a considerable annoyance. Since they are omnivorous (eating basically anything) they can cause damage to linens, rayon, furs, paper, foods, leather, silks and woolens especially when stored in places where frequent usage doesn't occur (garages, attics, basements,. etc.) In our stucco homes crickets find their way into the crack behind the stucco where it adjoins the foundation. Here they crawl into the safe walls and feed on the paper and glues on the drywall and insulation backing . They will also eat the dark waterproof paper used on exterior walls before the stucco is applied. One way to identify a cricket infestation is to locate their droppings. These look similar to coffee grounds or ground black pepper around the foundation, inside garages along exterior walls and around exterior door frames. Up inside the void space they eat, protected between the walls. The droppings fall out onto the ground below. Even when swept away, they may reappear from the vibration of closing exterior and garage doors.

Life Cycle:
Crickets only live about 1 year. In Arizona, they have no true "season" as the weather is supportive for their growth year round. The adults and the young nymphs live in the same environment and feed on the same foods. The babies are responsible for getting their own food from birth.

Safety Tips:
There isn't a safety risk associated with crickets other than they are a favorite dinner for the dreaded scorpion. Scorpions require live soft-bodied prey to supply them with both nutrients and moisture.

Prevention:
Keep stored articles up off the floor in environments like basements or garages. Tightly seal boxes stored in these areas with wide tape on all sides. Eliminate moisture conditions like leaky irrigation or drainage toward the house. Seal all openings leading into the home or where they could mate and harbor. Permanently eliminating a cricket infestation is best done by removing their access to your homes interior or other protected areas. Check out our Home Sealing Service.

 And call Premier for preventative maintenance service (480) 816-9388