Seeing a cricket or two around your Birmingham home might be a nuisance, but this pest in significant numbers can cause major problems. Learn more about crickets, including what they look like and what kinds of problems they can cause. We provide effective prevention tips and details about our cricket control in Birmingham below to help you keep crickets at bay.
Physical Characteristics Of Crickets: What to Look For
Crickets are fairly common pests to encounter, and they are distinctive for both the noise they make and their habit of jumping at people or things they deem as threats. You can identify most types of crickets by their light yellow or tan to dark brown or black color, six legs, two of which are prominent hind legs used for jumping, long antennae, and a pair of wings.
Cricket noise is one of the most common associations with this pest, and males of most species produce the recognizable cricket chirp which is known as stridulation. This noise is made by rubbing their wings together. However, some species of cricket in Birmingham, such as the cave cricket, don’t make any noise. If you have a cricket infestation missing the noise, you might be dealing with this species; Envirocare will help you with further identification.
Cricket Problems: More Than Just A Nuisance Noise
Even though crickets are fairly common pests and most individuals only see this insect as a nuisance noise-maker, crickets cause more serious problems than noise. Crickets won’t bite humans, but they are known for carrying bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. They may also have worms that can be found in their droppings, and interactions with crickets or their droppings may transfer illnesses or cause skin irritation.
Additionally, cricket infestations can be frightening, as these pests typically don’t hesitate to jump at anything in their way. They can easily ruin the peace of your home and other stored items, as they love to munch on fabrics, books, carpeting, and clothes. Proper cricket control is the best way to battle this pest and avoid the problems they bring.
Cricket Prevention: Naturally Effective Tips
The following naturally effective tips will help you deter crickets from hopping onto your property in the first place and support any cricket removal solutions put in place by our technicians at Envriocare:
Reduce moisture. Crickets are attracted to moist, cool, and dark environments, which means you should fix leaks or other moisture issues contributing to damp conditions on your property.
Switch outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting is a major attractant for crickets and other pests, so you should replace light bulbs with amber-colored bug bulbs or use motion-sensor lights.
Keep up on landscaping. Keep grass and foliage properly trimmed and clear outdoor areas of debris piles, wood piles, and decaying matter, as crickets love to hide in these spaces.
Reduce access. Seal up cracks around windows, doors, and your property’s foundation to keep crickets out. Use window and door screens in addition to weatherstripping and door sweeps to make sure crickets are firmly kept outside.
Reach out to Envirocare today if you need more information on effective cricket prevention.
Professional Pest Control: A Great Way To Get Rid Of Crickets
If you want to get rid of crickets the easy way, skip the store-bought and DIY remedies and contact our team of professionals at Envriocare instead. Our team is dedicated to removing all traces of crickets from your property, and we’ll make sure that we tailor cricket removal solutions to your property’s exact needs.
Contact us today to learn more about our home pest control plans in Birmingham or to get started.