One of the pleasures of fall weather is the ability to open windows in the house. It is refreshing to feel crisp, lukewarm fall air blowing through the rooms. Although it is nice to have the bedroom windows open while sleeping, there is one pest that can ruin the pleasures of open windows; crickets. The constant chirping of crickets can be annoying, and you want them to stop so you can sleep.
If crickets keep you awake at night, and if their incessant chirping is driving you crazy, you need the Las Vegas pest control team from Anderson Pest Control. Our family-owned company has been solving pest problems with high-quality, high-rated pest control service for twenty years. We know how to stop the crickets from keeping you awake at night.
Why Crickets Chirp So Much
Crickets chirp by rubbing their wings together. There is a row of 50 to 250 teeth on one forewing and a scraper on the opposite forewing. The chirping sound occurs when the cricket rubs the scaper wing across the wing with the teeth. Since crickets are nocturnal, they make their sounds at night.
There are several reasons for crickets in Las Vegas chirping. There are three distinct patterns crickets use to communicate through sound. The first is known as the "calling song," and the purpose of the sound pattern is to attract females. On a warm night, male crickets may chirp about 30 times per minute as they attempt to attract a mate. Once a female is present, the male cricket produces a second audio sequence to seduce the female to procreate. The third type of chirp warns other males to stay away.
Warmer temperatures cause crickets to chirp frequently. Here is a fun exercise: without looking at your phone for the temperature, count the number of chirps in 15 seconds, add 40, and see how close the "cricket temperature" is to the actual temperature. You may be surprised how close the two temperature numbers are!
How Crickets Make Their Way Into Homes
Crickets in the house are there because they have found a favorable, moist location. Crickets find humid areas in Las Vegas homes attractive, like basements and crawl spaces. When those areas are repositories for stacks of old magazines, cardboard boxes, and other clutter, crickets have found a new home.
Before crickets enter houses, they must find the area surrounding the home alluring. These lure crickets to Las Vegas properties:
- High grass
- Debris in the yard
- Open garbage cans
- Damp, shaded areas
- Large quantities of insects
- Firewood against the structure
When these factors are present on the property, and the house has a humid, cluttered crawl space or basement, crickets will locate in your home.
How To Effectively Prevent Cricket Infestations
To reduce or eliminate the cricket insect sound on your Las Vegas property, do the following:
- Remove yard debris like bricks, lumber, and piles of leaves
- Move firewood 20 feet away from the house and elevate it
- Mow the yard frequently on a low setting
- Keep garbage cans closed and elevated
- Replace exterior lights with bug lights
To get rid of crickets in the house, properly ventilate the crawl space or basement, keep window shades closed at night to avoid attracting crickets and insects, and vacuum the home using a wand attachment to get into furniture cracks and corners.
Professional Cricket Control In Las Vegas
If cricket noise is bothering you, our team is here to help! At Anderson Pest Control, we use an exclusive 20-Point barrier environmentally-friendly treatment system to stop crickets from bothering you. Our trained pest control technicians know where crickets hide in homes and yards, so we can develop a custom strategy that solves your cricket infestation problem. Contact us today and request a free quote.