Do you know that setting on your sound machine that has crickets gently chirping in the background? Sounds peaceful right? It might sound peaceful until you have a full-blown cricket infestation on your hands. Crickets are active during the fall season as their mating season occurs in the weeks of late summer and early fall. Crickets can cause some real damage to your home and property. There are 18 species of grasshoppers and crickets found in the State of Texas. A-Tex Pest Management is here to talk about crickets and how you can avoid an infestation this fall.
Why are Crickets Active in the Fall?
As mentioned above, crickets are highly active in the fall season. This is especially true if there has been little rainfall, followed by heavy rain. In the fall, just a few weeks after a female cricket has reached maturity and develops wings, she lays her eggs. Just one female can lay anywhere from 150 to 400 eggs! These eggs are laid in the soil and will remain there until the spring arrives. You notice an increase in activity as crickets mature into adults and start flying at night to mate.
Damage Caused by Cricket Infestations
If crickets gain access into your home, they can cause damage to your furniture, clothes and more. They eat away at these personal items leaving holes in their path. Not only are they a problem if they get inside your house, but an infestation outside on your property is a cause for concern as well. If you are a business owner and experience a cricket infestation on the outside of your business, it can deter customers from coming there. They can be unsightly, and as they die, they start to pile up and smell bad. A true infestation will literally cover the outside walls and walkways of your home or business with crickets.
Reduce Outdoor Lighting to Prevent Cricket Infestations
If you are worried about a cricket infestation, the biggest thing you can do to avoid it is to reduce the amount of outdoor lighting on your home or business. They are attracted to bright lights during the night and will congregate toward them. You should be aware of this even more during the fall which is mating season for them. There are lights that are less attractive to them than others and they include yellow incandescent lights and low-pressure sodium vapor lamps. Lights you should avoid are:
• Floodlights
• Fluorescent lighting
• Halogen lights or mercury vapor lights
• Standard incandescent lighting
While a lot of lighting is ideal to keep businesses and homes safe, just turning them off or changing them out during mating season may save you a headache when it comes to crickets. You should also seal off any cracks or other ways that cricket can gain access into your home if you find any.
Cricket Pest Inspections, Prevention & Control in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park, Texas
If you find yourself with a cricket infestation this fall, A-Tex Pest Management can help eliminate your problem. You don’t want your house or business covered with these unsightly pests. Call before the problem gets out of control.