Many people use an alarm to wake themselves up in the morning. Some keep the default alarm sound that comes on their clock or phone. Others change it to be more peaceful or more abrasive, depending on how deeply they sleep. One sound that people don’t often use as an alarm, but that wakes them up anyways, is the sound of crickets, or rather a single cricket making a racket. If you have ever had a rogue cricket play its love song at 4:00 in the morning, you know what we are talking about. These invasive pests are a big problem here in Las Vegas and sometimes cause trouble for local homeowners. To get these pests out of your home, here are some simple strategies we recommend.
Learn About Species Of Crickets In Las Vegas
Nevada has one of the most diverse cricket populations in America. Some of the most common species in Las Vegas include house crickets, field crickets, and camel crickets. The most common home-invading cricket in our area is the house cricket.
You may not know this, but not all crickets chirp. Females don’t make noise at all. It is only males that produce this loud high-pitched sound. Furthermore, some species of crickets don’t possess the organs needed to chirp. Camel crickets, a common species in our area, are a good example of this
Why Crickets Invade Homes
Crickets invade homes for many reasons, the biggest being to avoid unfavorable conditions outside. This may include cold, hot, or stormy weather. Another reason crickets come indoors is to hunt for food. By their nature these pests are omnivorous, meaning they feed on both animals and plants. This makes finding food when indoors easy for crickets as all they need are some house plants, insects, or left-out scraps of human (or pet) food to survive.
Tidy Up Your Home
Crickets, like many other area pests, thrive in cluttered/dirty environments. The dirtier your home is, the more areas to hide and opportunities to scavenge for food these pests will have. To combat this, we recommend thoroughly cleaning your living areas once a week. In addition to this, tidy up storage areas and pack items into sealed plastic totes. One thing to keep in mind when tidying up your home is that certain species of crickets damage fabrics, paper, leather, and other stored valuables.
Seal Up Your Home’s Exterior
Once your home is clean, your next step to prevent crickets is to make sure your home is properly sealed. Here are some helpful exclusion tips our experts recommend.
- Fill in gaps, cracks, and holes in your home’s exterior foundation using a caulking gun or some liquid cement.
- Repair damage to window/door screens.
- Install door sweeps under exterior doors that lead out of your home.
- Keep unscreened doors and windows closed as much as possible.
- Remove sources of standing water from your property.
- Address leaky piping and fixtures.
Invest In Professional Pest Control
To go above and beyond with your home’s cricket control, we recommend investing in professional pest control services. At Anderson Pest Control, we take care of your pest problems so that you don’t have to. With our detailed inspections, elimination strategies, and prevention tactics on your side, you won’t have to worry about invasive insects like crickets ever again.
Reach out to our team to learn more about the pests we services and to schedule a visit for your Central Ohio property. We will send one of our friendly technicians your way ASAP with a solution that will fit your pest control needs.