The onset of cool night temperatures causes black field crickets to invade homes in search of a warmer location. To add insult to injury, they even have the nerve to tell you about it with their loud midnight chirping.Released October 9, 2009
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The onset of cool night temperatures causes black field crickets to invade homes in search of a warmer location. To add insult to injury, they even have the nerve to tell you about it with their loud midnight chirping.
Their chirping isn't the only concern, since crickets will feed on items made of leather, wool, cotton, paper and various other materials inside the home.
Outdoor lighting, while a nice safety feature, actually serves to attract crickets to the doorstep where they gather or stage. As doors are opened throughout the day, crickets sneak inside and quickly find nice hiding places.
The outside "doorstep staging" can be stopped by using an insecticide to control crickets that may be present, while repelling others that come calling every few days. A number of safe insecticides provide excellent control and are readily available at most garden centers.
If crickets happen to escape the perimeter defense, a late-night "cricket getter" kit should include a flashlight, flyswatter, or rolled newspaper.
Once spotted, the glare of the flashlight will immobilize a cricket, which provides an opportunity to administer control.
Pleasant occasions are usually short-lived and soon after the first killing frost, cricket season will be over. We only have a couple of weeks for children to enjoy an Arkansas midnight cricket hunt and bag a lifetime memory.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/october2009/1009seay.htm
Editor: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
