How To Get Rid Of Crickets? – Criminals are not the only ones that can attack your home and rob you of your valuables; apparently some tiny critters can be even more dangerous. Gryllidae, or more commonly called crickets are one of such type. Although they’re not more than an inch long, once they know how to enter your house or if you have unintentionally invited them in, you are sure to be in big trouble. In small numbers, they’re rarely a disturbance and are easily eliminated. But don’t let it pass, for they usually multiply in no time and may threaten your comfort and health.
Crickets in the garden and home can be annoying, and hiring an exterminator can turn out to be an expensive affair. Try these simple, inexpensive yet potent home remedies to get rid of crickets on your own.
How To Get Rid Of Crickets? DIY Home Remedies for Crickets
1. Create Traps
Traps are one one of the best ways to eliminate crickets from areas like the corners, along the walls, below furniture, etc. In this case, you may use the glue boards that are used to trap rodents. Place surplus cornmeal on the glue board as bait and once the crickets are lured to the board, they have no way to escape.
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2. Place Sweet Traps
Do you ever catch crickets sneaking into your home even after multiple rounds of extermination? A sweet trap is all you need you need to do away with them for good. To make this trap, you will need a shallow with a few spoons of molasses and water – a ratio of 1:10 will do just fine. Place a couple of these traps around your home, especially in the areas that are infested by crickets. The sweet scent serves as a bait that attracts them, and in no time at all, you will find them inundating the bowl. This is a great way to eliminate crickets permanently.
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3. Make a DIY Soap Pesticide
Think that soap is only used for cleaning and washing? Then think again! Soap is in fact one of the best home remedies to get rid of crickets, and many other pests such as cockroaches and flies. All you need to do is to make an organic pesticide by mixing water and a handful of soap in a spray bottle. Every time you see the bugs, spray it on them. The blubber in the soap will penetrate the cricket’s shell and cause cell damage, which will in turn kill them. However bear in mind that the bubble has to come into contact with the bug and make it wet, in order for this remedy to work.
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4. Kidnap Their Eggs
As if residing in your homes uninvited was not troublesome enough, now the crickets have chosen your property to lay eggs too. The only way out of this is to confiscate the eggs. Get a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter and start cleaning the walls, corners and dark areas of your house. This will suck up those nasty eggs and destroy any nests around the house. However, keep in mind that your job is not complete until you have properly disposed of the contents of the vacuum cleaner in a well-sealed plastic bag.
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5. Make a Hot Chilli Spray
Another effective home remedy for eliminating crickets is to use chilli. Go to your kitchen and start collecting all the chilli items you have – powders, sauces and everything else. Mix them all up together in a cup of water and leave the mixture overnight to settle. Filtrate the mixture the next day and add one more glass of water to adulterate the chilli liquid along with a few drops of dishwasher liquid, which will act as a sticky agent. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and start spraying the infested areas. As your homemade anti-cricket spray is organic, it will not damage your plants. To see if it burns your plants, test the spray on one or two leaves first. Should you notice any burns on the leaves, add a little more water and you are all set to burn those pesky bugs.
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6. Let Predators Do the Job
There is no better way to eliminate crickets than to let Mother Nature do her job! Do not shoo away the spiders and lizards in your garden. These will keep a check on the cricket population in your garden. Remember not to use any insecticide, as it can kill even the spiders and lizards. Leave everything as it is and let nature take over!
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7. Use Diatomaceous Earth
When it comes to eliminating crickets naturally, there is nothing quite like diatomaceous earth. This potent powder, derived from the skeletons of primordial algae that are rich in silicon, will dehydrate the crickets and eventually kill them. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth generously all over the floor in affected areas. However, make sure that the areas sprinkled with this powder do not come into contact with water. When the powder turns wet, its efficiency reduces to almost zero. Also, don’t mistaken this powder with the ones used to treat swimming pools. You can buy Diatomaceous Earth from food stores.
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8. Bio-Control
Bio-control has been gaining immense popularity across the world these days. Knowing that crickets can be troublesome and hard to get rid of, this concept suggests the use of host plants to attract insects like the larra wasp that feeds on crickets and keeps its population in check.
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How to Prevent Crickets from coming to your Home?
Now, that you have learnt the remedies to get rid of crickets in your garden, let us quickly take you through some tips to keep them from coming back:
- Ensure that you cut or trim all the bushes and long shafts of grass around your house, especially the door area. This will make sure that these pesky pests do not get access to your indoors.
- Dispose of old wooden and compost tiles to prevent them from attracting crickets.
- If you can, install a bird feeder and simply let your cat sit outdoors.
- Always keep your home and garden clean, neat and tidy.
- Ensure that any low-growing vegetation is planted at least 12 inches away from your home.
- Do not allow for any debris to collect on your rooftop and drains.
- Make sure that you do not allow garbage, leaf litters, construction items, wood, etc. pile up in the perimeter of your property. Crickets will make them their home in no time at all.
Prevention is always better than cure, so ensure that your property and home is always clean and dry.
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These are but a few of the many home remedies that can help you get rid of crickets naturally. Not only are they easy and effective, they are also safe to use around pets and children. Try them today!
