Description

The House Cricket is related to grasshoppers and like these, has large hind legs which are used for jumping. The adults vary from twelve to nineteen mm in length and the female can be distinguished from the male by the long, needle-like egg-tube which protrudes from the end of the body. Both males and females have wings which are used for short flights; only the male makes the characteristic chirping sound, which is produced by rubbing the forewings against each other.

Habitat

There are three kinds of Cricket in Britain but only the House Cricket becomes a nuisance; the others live in fields and woods. House Crickets occur in buildings where they can gain access to warm places near hearths, boilers, radiators, ducts carrying warm pipes, etc. During the day they are less active and generally remain hidden but in the evening and at night, they move about in search of food and the males may be heard chirping to attract attention of the females.

During the summer months crickets may become numerous in and near refuse tips where warmth of decaying organic matter and the abundance in food is attractive. Sometimes large numbers leave a refuse dump and invade neighbouring houses, causing considerable annoyance to the inhabitants. Indoors, they feed on crumbs or almost any form of refuse but the house cricket does no damage when present in small numbers and is not known to carry any disease.

Safety

Not all insecticides are safe for use indoors, particularly where food is present. To protect yourself and others and to minimise damage to the environment ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE APPLICATION AND USE INSTRUCTIONS PRINTED ON THE CONTAINER.