Vinegar kills crickets. That much is true. A lot of folks will tell you that the death is instant, but that is only true if you think a couple of minutes is instant. Vinegar kills crickets by coating their skin in an acidic bath that burns and dehydrates the cricket until it dies minutes later.

It is not a pleasant death, imagine being thrown in a vat of acid (like in the cartoons), that is pretty much what vinegar is like to crickets, and other similar insects.

If this isn’t something that you are particularly keen on doing then read on. This article is going to look at crickets, why you have crickets, how to get rid of crickets (without needless torture) and all importantly HOW TO GET CRICKETS TO JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!

Ready? Let’s crack on, or ‘crick’ on hehe…

Why Do I Have Crickets In My Home?

Crickets are typically outdoor creatures, they live near the soil and feast themselves on plant matter both living and dead. They are commonly found in warm humid climates preferring to hydrate themselves with the dew of the plants as opposed to standing water (although when push comes to shove they will take water from anywhere they can).

How To Get Rid Of Crickets In The House

Crickets when they are outside are a minor auditory nuisance. In some areas/climates they are a part of the scenery and not hearing them would actually feel unusual, like hearing a drill on a worksite.

But when you start hearing that noise in your house that’s when it can start to get really irritating.

Let’s look at X ways to get rid of crickets from your home:

Use a chemical bait – Specialised cricket bait can be found in many hardware stores. When using bait of this nature you should be careful around your pets and any small children in the house as it is toxic.

Use sugar water – Not the most effective method of getting rid of a large number of crickets but definitely worth trying if you only have one or two. Fill a bowl with water and drop in 2-3 heaped tablespoons of sugar water. The crickets will be drawn to the sugar water and you can empty the bowl ridding yourself of the cricket!

Sticky glue traps – A good solution if you are unable to use toxic sprays or bait is to line the problem area with glue traps. The crickets will land on these traps and be unable to move.

Bug spray – Most bug sprays will be effective against crickets.

Any of the above methods will be suitable when it comes to the active cricket population. That is to say the crickets that are in your home right now. But you will find that just getting rid of the crickets is not enough.

You also need to stop them from returning.

Once they’ve made it into your home once they will make it back in again and again unless you take preventative measures. Starting with locating the source of the crickets and destroying their nest.

Once you have done this you can:

Clean and disinfect all surfaces – This will kill 2 birds with one stone (so to speak). Firstly you will be removing any scents and pheromones that are attracting crickets. Secondly you will be removing any eggs that have been left behind.

Seal your home – Crickets are small creatures but not microscopic. They need a sizeable hole or gap in your property’s shell in order to get inside. Walk around your home and look for any holes that would allow the crickets access. Once found seal them up.

Seal your trash – You should always ensure any rubbish you leave outside is sealed and preferably within another bin. Not just to prevent crickets but to prevent all wildlife from thinking your house is a lovely place for a nice meal.

Mow your grass and trim your plants – Crickets love to nest in warm, wet and overgrown vegetation. They will hide out in long grass and in overgrown shrubbery. Keep your lawn trim and any plants freshly cut.

How To Make Crickets Stop Chirping (How To Shut Crickets Up!)

If you’ve got crickets you will know about it.

Just an incessant chirping over and over.

But the worst thing is when you can’t find where the chirping is coming from! And if you can’t find where it is coming from you can’t get rid of the problem.

But you can get rid of the symptoms.

Crickets will stop chirping if they are uncomfortable or when they are sleeping. Therefore if you make life a bit stressful for them you can get them to quieten down!

1 – Turn the lights on. Crickets are nocturnal creatures meaning they come out at night in the dark. If you home is well lit they will be less likely to come out and make a racket.

2 – Keep it cool – Crickets like the warm environment. Their chirping is actually caused by mating and by acts of dominance (Fighting or Fucking if you prefer!). If you crank up the AC they will not be in the mood for either and you can get a lovely nights sleep.

3 – Keep moving – You will notice that crickets are quiet as you move around the house. Only coming out to scream bloody murder when the house is quiet and still. Now obviously it is not feasible for you to keep walking around your home just to keep the crickets at bay but if you have anything else that can replicate the movement then that could also work. One thing that I have seen work is a roomba (you know the automatic vacuum robot things).

So that wraps up this post. Hopefully now you should know why you have crickets and how you can get rid of them. And failing that you know how to stop them chirping at the very least!

Do you have any recommendations on how to deal with crickets? Share them in the comments below…