A single chirping cricket behind the baseboards can keep a whole household awake, and a garage that fills with them every summer is its own kind of frustrating. Crickets are mostly harmless, but in Florida’s warm, humid climate they can turn up indoors in real numbers. Here’s how to tell the common types apart, why they get inside, and how to get rid of them.
Quick Answer: How Do You Get Rid of Crickets?
Getting rid of crickets comes down to making your home less attractive and sealing them out: reduce moisture and humidity, cut back the exterior lighting that lures them at night, seal gaps around doors and the foundation, and clear tall grass, mulch, and debris near the house. For crickets already inside, vacuuming, traps, and targeted treatment along entry points clear them out. Because they breed outdoors, exterior control is what keeps them from coming back.
Common Types of Crickets in Florida
“Cricket” covers a few different insects that behave differently once they’re near your home. Knowing which you have helps target control.
| Type | What It Looks Like | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| House cricket | Light yellowish-brown, ~1 inch, long antennae | Chirps loudly; drawn to warmth and light indoors |
| Field cricket | Black or dark brown, robust, ~1 inch | Chirps; comes in from lawns, especially after rain |
| Camel (spider) cricket | Humpbacked, tan, no wings, long legs | Silent; jumps when startled; loves damp, dark spaces |
House and field crickets are the chirpers. Camel crickets — also called spider crickets for their long legs and jumping — don’t chirp at all, but they unsettle people by leaping toward them in garages, basements, and crawl spaces.
A Note: Crickets vs. Mole Crickets
The crickets on this page are the ones that get into your home. Mole crickets are a completely different problem — they live underground and destroy Florida lawns from below rather than invading the house. If your issue is brown, spongy patches in the turf rather than chirping indoors, that’s the guide you want.
Why Are Crickets Getting Into My House?
Crickets are outdoor insects that wander in when the conditions line up. The biggest attractants are moisture and light. Florida’s humidity gives them the damp harborage they love, and bright exterior lights draw them to the house at night, where they slip in through gaps. Common entry points are gaps under doors, foundation cracks, weep holes, garage doors, and openings around utility lines. Tall grass, mulch beds, leaf litter, and clutter against the foundation give them a staging ground right next to your walls.
Are Crickets Harmful?
Crickets aren’t dangerous to people. They don’t spread disease and, while a large field or house cricket can pinch, they don’t meaningfully bite. The real complaints are the relentless nighttime chirping and, in heavier infestations, damage to fabrics and paper — crickets will chew on cotton, linen, wool, and stored paper, particularly items with food or sweat residue. Camel crickets in a damp garage or crawl space are mostly a nuisance and a sign of excess moisture.
Cricket Chorus Keeping You Up?
If crickets keep finding their way in, the fix is usually outside. Prodigy Pest Solutions treats entry points and harborage so they stop getting in. Reach out for a free inspection.
How to Get Rid of Crickets
Effective cricket control works from the outside in:
Cut the moisture. Fix leaks, improve drainage, and dehumidify garages, crawl spaces, and basements where crickets gather.
Adjust the lighting. Switch bright white exterior bulbs to yellow “bug” lights or move fixtures away from doors so you’re not inviting them over.
Seal them out. Add door sweeps and weatherstripping, and caulk foundation cracks, weep holes, and utility gaps.
Clear the perimeter. Mow tall grass, pull mulch and debris back from the foundation, and reduce clutter that shelters them.
Handle the ones inside. Vacuum them up, use sticky traps in corners and along walls, and apply targeted treatment at entry points.
How to Keep Crickets From Coming Back
Long-term, keeping crickets out is the same recipe that keeps out most occasional invaders: a dry, sealed, well-maintained perimeter with lighting that doesn’t roll out a welcome mat. In Florida, where crickets breed outdoors year-round, a regular exterior pest program is the most dependable way to stop seasonal surges before they reach your living space. The same barrier also helps against other perimeter pests like ants.
Stop Crickets at the Perimeter
Prodigy Pest Solutions keeps crickets and other occasional invaders out of Florida homes with year-round exterior protection. Get your free inspection today.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why do I suddenly have crickets in my house? | Crickets wander in from outside when it’s humid, when bright exterior lights draw them to the house at night, or after heavy rain pushes field crickets indoors. Entry gaps and damp harborage near the foundation make it easy. |
| Are house crickets harmful? | Not to people — they don’t spread disease or meaningfully bite. The nuisance is the loud chirping and, in larger numbers, chewing damage to fabrics and stored paper. |
| What are the crickets that jump at you? | Those are camel crickets (also called spider crickets). They’re humpbacked, wingless, and silent, and they jump when startled. They favor damp, dark spots like garages, basements, and crawl spaces. |
| How do I stop crickets from chirping in my house? | Locate and remove the cricket — vacuuming or sticky traps along walls work well — then seal entry points and reduce moisture and exterior lighting so more don’t follow it in. |
| Do crickets lay eggs indoors? | Most crickets prefer to lay eggs in soil or damp outdoor sites, so indoor crickets are usually wanderers rather than a breeding population. That’s why exterior control is the key to stopping them. |
| What smell or method keeps crickets away? | Rather than scents, the reliable deterrents are a dry, sealed perimeter, reduced exterior lighting, and cleared vegetation. A professional exterior treatment adds a lasting barrier around the home. |
Serving Homes Across Florida
Prodigy Pest Solutions provides expert pest control throughout the region, including: