It's 1 a.m. and something near the window won't stop chirping. If you're up searching how to get rid of crickets, you already know the noise is only part of it. Crickets also chew fabric, breed quickly, and find their way indoors in surprising numbers. Pushing them out comes down to taking away the moisture, light, and overgrowth that pull them toward your house, then closing the gaps they crawl through. Here's how to get the quiet back.
Quick answer
Get rid of crickets by removing what draws them in: cut back overgrown grass and shrubs, fix moisture and leaks, swap bright exterior bulbs for warm-toned lights, and clear clutter and woodpiles. Then seal gaps around doors, windows, and vents, and use sticky traps for the ones already inside.
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Know Your Cricket
Crickets are brown-to-tan insects with wings and strong back legs built for jumping. They look a lot like grasshoppers, but their antennae are longer. And despite the wings, they mostly hop their way around.
Only the males chirp. They make the sound to attract mates, almost always after dark. One cricket somewhere in the yard can be oddly soothing. A whole chorus outside the bedroom window is not. Crickets breed fast, so a handful can turn into a real problem in short order when the conditions suit them.
Why Crickets Are More Than a Nuisance
The noise is the least of it. Crickets feed on fibrous material and will chew through fabric, which puts decorative linens, clothing, and upholstery at risk. That damage gets worse during an infestation, when there are more of them eating.
There's a hygiene angle too, since crickets have been associated with spreading certain bacteria. And here's the part most people miss: crickets are a favorite meal for scorpions and spiders. A cricket problem can quietly invite those bigger predators onto your property, so getting the crickets under control often pushes the others back as well.
What Pulls Crickets Toward Your Home
Crickets chase moisture, shelter, food, and warmth, and outdoor lighting pulls them in hard at night. Knowing the draws is how you take them away. Watch for these:
- Bright exterior lights that draw crickets after dark
- Moisture from leaks, irrigation, standing water, and damp basements
- Overgrown bushes, tall grass, and dense shrubs that give them cover
- Clutter, debris, and woodpiles that double as breeding and nesting spots
- Warmth indoors during temperature swings
- Easy food like crumbs, pet food, and stored grains
How to Get Rid of Crickets Outdoors
Most crickets start in the yard, so that's where you start too. Cut back overgrown bushes and shrubs, mow on a regular schedule, and keep the grass short to strip away the cover they hide in. Clear out leaf piles and debris. Move firewood away from the house and up off the ground.
Then deal with water. Fix leaks, improve drainage, and get rid of anything that pools. Lighting is its own lever. Swap exterior bulbs for warmer-toned or yellow lights, which pull in fewer insects, and point outdoor fixtures away from your doors. A dry, tidy, dimly lit yard just isn't a place crickets want to be.
Seal Crickets Out and Handle the Ones Already Inside
Crickets slip in through gaps around doors, windows, vents, and utility lines. Add door sweeps, patch torn screens, and caulk the cracks in your foundation and around pipes to shut those routes down. Basement windows and garage gaps are common weak spots, so give them a close look.
For the crickets already inside, take away what keeps them comfortable: moisture and clutter, especially in basements, laundry rooms, and storage areas. Vacuum up any crickets and eggs you spot, then empty the canister outside. Seal your food and wipe down crumbs so there's nothing to eat. Sticky traps tucked into corners and along walls will catch the stragglers and tell you whether the problem is shrinking.
When to Call a Professional
Sometimes the yard is tidy and the gaps are sealed and the crickets still come back. Or the chirping is coming from inside the walls. Either way, the population is probably bigger or more settled than you can handle alone. Crickets breed quickly, so an infestation left unchecked rebounds fast.
A licensed local pro can find the breeding and harborage spots you'd never think to check, treat the perimeter to stop crickets before they reach the door, and fix the conducive conditions around your foundation. That same perimeter work cuts off the food supply for the scorpions and spiders crickets bring along.