The sound of crickets on a warm Las Vegas night can be soothing to hear. But hearing that telltale chirp in your home is just the opposite. When you’ve got crickets indoors, you can’t help but feel stressed. You know these bugs belong outside, but the real question is: are crickets in Las Vegas dangerous?
What To Know About Crickets
There are many different species of crickets found in the U.S., but the type most likely to wind up indoors is the house cricket. Only the males make that distinct chirping noise, which they create by rubbing their legs together. While the sound of a house cricket is a reliable way to identify them, you can also easily recognize house crickets by their physical appearance. The average house cricket measures somewhere between 3/4 and 7/8 inches in length and has a yellowish-brown color with a three-banded pattern on the back of the head.
While most folks think of crickets as harmless pests, they can actually cause some real problems once indoors.
Problems That Crickets Cause
The most obvious problem that crickets cause is that relentless chirping. After a while, the noise can be incredibly annoying to live with. But crickets are also destructive and potentially hazardous pests to have in your Las Vegas home.
Crickets are omnivorous insects that feed on a variety of food sources, from plants to other bugs. But once deprived of their wild diet, crickets will quickly turn to the materials in your home to satisfy their hunger. Crickets are known to destroy fabric and cloth in the home. Blankets, bedding, clothing, and carpeting are all at risk of being eaten by crickets.
But beyond this, crickets can actually be a danger to your health. Like cockroaches and rodents, crickets have been known to spread E. coli and salmonella bacteria, which can cause intense gastrointestinal distress. Crickets can also transmit worms and parasites through their feces. Contact with cricket feces may even lead to the development of open sores on human skin.
And while they aren’t venomous, crickets can bite when threatened. Though rare, crickets can potentially spread disease through biting.
How To Prevent Crickets
Thankfully, you can take some easy steps around your residential or commercial Las Vegas property to keep crickets out. Some cricket prevention tips you should try include:
- Keeping lights off: Crickets are highly attracted to bright lights. Shutting off your outdoor lights as much as possible can reduce the number of crickets and other insects around your property. You can also try switching to a yellow bulb or sodium vapor lamp to keep lights on but crickets out.
- Doing yard work: It might not seem like much, but taking care of your yard can reduce the chances of a cricket infestation. Trim the lawn along with any hedges and bushes. Remove yard waste like piles of leaves, sticks, and rotten logs. Move any firewood at least 20 feet away from the home and store on an elevated platform to discourage pests.
- Addressing moisture issues: Like every living thing, crickets need water to survive. You can reduce their access to water by sealing any leaking pipes, spigots, or faucets. Remove any blockages from drains or gutters to discourage water backup. Ventilate regularly with fans and open windows or consider installing a dehumidifier.
If you’re seeing (or hearing) crickets on your property in Las Vegas and the surrounding area, you don’t have to deal with it on your own. Give the experts at Evolve Pest Control a call for your free inspection. We’ll work with you to get rid of your crickets or any other pests giving you trouble. Contact us today to get started.
