How Crickets Cause Damage in Homes

Crickets are outdoor creatures that live in gardens and lawns but when they enter homes, they become domestic pests. Feeding habits, hiding behaviour and continual chirping cause disturbances and property issues. Crickets are opportunistic domestic pests and feed on the food, warmth and shelter present in houses. They are also active at night and they search for crumbs, fabrics and organic debris. Most crickets hide in the basement, garage, crawl space, and storage areas. These concealed areas allow silent movement and feeding that enhance the indoor presence and cause damage to household materials.

What Types of Materials Do Crickets Damage Indoors?

Here are the four types of materials that crickets damage indoors:

1. Clothing and Fabrics: Crickets feed on natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk and linen. Small holes in the stored clothes, curtains, carpets or upholstered furniture where feeding activity takes place.
2. Paper Products: Crickets eat books, paper materials, and cardboard boxes kept in the closets, garages, or basements. Missing sections of paper and rough edges are signs of evident feeding damage.
3. Wallpaper and Glue-Based Materials: Crickets consume adhesive materials applied to the walls and book bindings. Glued materials are also attractive to feeding and cause peeling wallpaper or broken book spines.
4. Stored Food Products: Crickets also consume dry food material like grains, cereals and pet food stored in the kitchen or storage rooms. Open packaging enhances the activity of indoor feeding.

How Do Crickets Damage Household Items?

Crickets destroy household objects with powerful chewing teeth known as mandibles. These hard jaws cut soft materials like fabrics, paper and cardboard during feeding. Crickets show repeated feeding and revert to the same source of food or cloths numerous times. This repeated practice enhances the visible destruction of stored products. There are concealed feeding places that safeguard their movements and feeding. Closets, storage boxes, basements, and quiet rooms usually contain damaged materials.

What Damage Can Crickets Cause to Indoor Plants?

Crickets destroy interior vegetation through their frequent feeding behavior. They cut tiny holes in the leaves of plants and shape irregular edges on the loose leaves. Young plants and the tender seedlings are at a higher risk as their tissues are soft and easy to chew. Crickets also feed on stems of plants and occasionally on roots at the surface of the ground. The frequent feeding of plants inhibits their growth and reduces the overall health of the plants in households.

Can Crickets Damage Stored Items and Household Belongings?

Crickets destroy food and shelter in homes in search of food. They chew the cardboard storage boxes and make rough holes in the process of hiding and feeding activity. Fabric storage containers filled with blankets, clothing, or textiles are also attractive to the feeding as natural fibers serve as food. Books, paper documents, and files that are stored for long periods indicate chewing marks and broken edges. Crickets prefer quiet spots to feed like closets, basements, and attics, where they cause damage to property and stored goods.

What Signs Indicate Cricket Damage in a Home?

Here are the four signs that indicate cricket damage in a home:

1. Small Holes in Fabrics: Clothes, blankets, carpets, curtains and stored fabrics occasionally exhibit small irregular holes and coarse bite marks. Natural fiber materials are appealing to crickets to feed and the damage is frequently found in closets or storage areas.
2. Chewed Paper or Cardboard: Paper records, books, packaging paper and cardboard storage boxes occasionally have chewed edges and rough surfaces. Such damaged materials are found in the garages, basements, or closets where crickets feed.
3. Droppings Near Hidden Areas: Small dark pellet droppings are found around the closets, basements, corners, storage boxes, and wall edges. These droppings accumulate near concealed areas where the crickets are still alive and feeding in the house.
4. Persistent Nighttime Chirping: Continuous chirping of the nighttime within rooms, basements, garages, or storage facilities is an indication of active male crickets. The repetitive sounds are a sign of an indoor population that is feeding and living nearby.

If you’re seeing crickets, schedule a same-day inspection now!

How Can Homeowners Prevent Cricket Damage?

Here are the five ways in which homeowners prevent cricket damage:

1. Store Fabrics Properly: Place clothes, blankets, and other textiles in tightly closed containers made of plastic rather than cardboard. Sealed containers stop the crickets and the natural fibers are not chewed and avoid long term damages in closets and storage places.
2. Keep Storage Areas Clean: Get rid of clutter, loose boxes and scattered materials in the closets, garages, basements and storage rooms. Well-maintained and tidy spaces mainly decrease hiding areas, discourage the nesting of crickets, and make it easier to detect the early signs of indoor activities.
3. Control Moisture: Lower humidity in basements, crawl spaces, and storage areas using ventilation, fans, or dehumidifiers. Dry climates reduce the available habitats of crickets, slow down food spoilage, and deter the settlement of the population within houses or storage facilities.
4. Seal Entry Points: Close cracks, holes, and openings surrounding the doors, windows, foundations and utility lines. Entry point sealing blocks accessibility to crickets, deters infestations and homes against further insects and possible property damage within the homes.
5. Monitor Indoor Spaces: Regularly inspect closets, garages, basements and storage rooms in case of droppings, chewings or chirping. Regular surveillance helps identify cricket activity at an early stage which enables the homeowners to act before the populations become larger indoors.