Keeping Pesky Crickets Away From Your Chicago Home

The sound of crickets chirping at night is considered pleasant to many. You may think so too. But imagine all of those chirping crickets making that noise inside your home. That wouldn't be pleasant at all. In fact, it only takes one cricket to make an annoying sound in your home.

Let's take a look at this problem of cricket noises and discuss cricket pest control in Chicago. You should find some very helpful information here for keeping crickets away.

Why Are The Crickets In Chicago So Loud?

If you're curious what all that racket is about, the sound of crickets is a mating call. Male crickets make this noise to attract females during mating season. Sometimes this noise can grow to a fevered pitch as all the males join in together. When crickets make this sound outside, it isn't so bad. When they make it inside your home, it can be very annoying.

The problem isn't just that the noise of crickets in your house is loud, but that these insects are most active at night. If you work during the day, cricket sounds at night can be an issue. It is a good idea to be proactive and keep crickets away from your home so they don't have the opportunity to disturb your sleep.

How Do Crickets Get Inside Homes?

These insects get into your home the way most pests do. If you roll your sleeves up and seal potential entry points, you'll be on your way to preventing cricket problems in your home.

• Seal gaps around utilities, such as electrical conduits and water mains. A caulking gun is a great tool for this job.

• Replace damaged screens and make sure you don't have any gaps around your screen frames.

• Replace old or damaged weatherstripping on exterior doors.

• Install door sweeps on doors that don't have them.

• Check to make sure your doors are aligned properly, particularly double doors. These can become unaligned over time and present gaps that are easy for crickets to pass through. 

• Replace damaged door and window frames. These can start to rot or be damaged by carpenter ants, mice, rats, and other pests.

• Fill in any gaps between your foundation and your sole plates.

• Repair foundation cracks.

• Protect vents and weep holes.

It doesn't take much of a hole to allow a little cricket into your home, so make sure to inspect these zones closely.

Cricket Prevention Tips For Chicago Residents

Once you've sealed your exterior, you'll need to turn your attention to the environment around your home. If this environment attracts crickets, you'll have a greater chance of crickets getting inside. Here are a few tips to help keep them away:

• Light - A big reason why crickets become a problem is that they're attracted to light. Keep lights off at night when it is not a security concern. Replace exterior light bulbs that cast white light with bulbs that cast yellow light. Crickets aren't attracted to yellow light. Keep shades drawn at night and close blinds.

• Hiding Places - Remove organic debris in your landscaping and around your perimeter, such as leaves, dead branches, and grass clippings. Decaying vegetation offers hiding places and breeding sites for house crickets. Trim vegetation in your landscaping and remove weeds to make your landscaping more open and dry.

• Sanitation - Remove general clutter, such as stacked boards, cardboard, and other clutter. Crickets hide in cool shaded locations, and lawn clutter is ideal. Make sure your trash is covered and protected. Crickets can be drawn to open trash. A clean orderly and clutter-free yard is resistant to crickets.

If you combine these management tips with the exclusion tips above, you can get complete control of crickets.

The Best Way To Prevent Cricket Infestations

Sometimes more control is needed, depending on conducive conditions and cricket pressures in your yard. When this is the case, the best solution is to contact Aerex Pest Control to request a cricket treatment. We use the most advanced methods to locate crickets, evaluate cricket problems, and systematically address cricket populations.

Once the crickets are out of your home, you may want to make sure they stay out. We can help you with that too. We offer year-round pest control services that work to exclude a wide range of common Chicago pests - many of which are a lot more troublesome than crickets. Reach out to us today to learn more about our residential pest control options or to request a pest control inspection for your home to get started.

At Aerex Pest Control, we are committed to finding the most effective, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective pest control options for our customers. We look forward to guiding you toward the right solution for your home, and for your family.