Crickets sure know how to announce themselves. Saying they’re loud doesn’t quite capture it, and it’s crazy that we use the term “crickets” to describe awkward silence.
Honestly, I sometimes find them downright annoying, especially when I’m in the mood for some Taylor Swift (yes, a Swiftie at heart!).
Nights can get pretty lively, with hundreds of them belting it out. Whether it’s noise or music to your ears, you might wonder why crickets are so darn loud.
And more importantly, is there a way to shush them? This guide will come in handy when you want a peaceful night’s sleep, so read on!
Why Do Crickets Chirp?
Crickets chirp to advertise themselves to potential mates, and only the adult males make this familiar sound.
Females can’t chirp because they don’t have the musical genes. Or, more accurately, their wings lack the specialized parts that make this noise.
Now, the male crickets’ version of a bedroom voice is a rhythmic, persistent, high-pitched sound (Move over, Manny Montana!).
They start singing their mating call late afternoon and can continue through the night. Once the ladies find them, the male crooners switch to a softer tune called the courtship call.
Yet, not every chirp is romantic in nature. If a male encounters another male, it chirps to signal it to back off. That’s the rivalry call—angrier and less melodic.
Crickets stop chirping when they sense danger. During the day, they hide in a dark, moist place, quietly away from predators.
How Do Crickets Produce Noise?
Crickets chirp through stridulation, a process similar to running your fingers along the teeth of a comb.
Beneath the male cricket’s top wing is a row of microscopic ridges called the file. When magnified, the file looks like the half of a zipper. Meanwhile, the upper surface of the bottom wing has a hard raised vein known as the scraper.
The file drags along the scraper when the male rubs its wings together. These rapid wingstrokes produce vibrations that result in a chirping sound.
Some species make eight strokes per chirp, which is too fast for the naked eye.
Because cricket species look so much alike, scientists use their sounds to tell them apart. That’s right—different crickets have their signature songs!
How Loud Is a Cricket?
Would you believe that a lone cricket can blast it up to a ringing 100 decibels?
For comparison, a car horn blares at about 110 decibels, while a whistle can reach up to 125 decibels.
You see, a cricket’s chirp is just too shrill to ignore!
A study even suggests that a cricket sitting on the ground while singing amplifies the volume and extends the reach by as much as ten times!
Why Are Crickets So Loud in the Summer?
Sometimes, it’s maddening how crickets can’t seem to zip it. And if you think they’re extra loud during summer, your ears aren’t fooling you.
Our chirpy garden locals have a reason for turning up the volume, and it has everything to do with the weather. Turns out, the lore from the Old Farmer’s Almanac has some truth to it. And experts say crickets can indeed tell the temperature.
Here’s a fun experiment to use a cricket’s chirping as a sort of thermometer when it’s hot out:
- Choose a single cricket to focus on. If you can capture it, the better.
- Set your timer for 14 seconds.
- Count the chirps during that time.
- Add 40 to your chirp count, and you’ve got an approximate Fahrenheit temperature.
- Optional: Use an actual thermometer to compare the results.
So, what’s the science behind it?
Some chemical reactions happening inside a cricket’s body help its muscles contract, causing it to produce those melodious chirps.
Fact: There’s actually a formula that can determine the energy needed to trigger these reactions: the Arrhenius equation.
Since crickets are cold-blooded and can’t warm up on their own, they use the heat around them. And the temperature affects how fast these chemical reactions happen.
When it’s warm, the reactions that make crickets trill activate more quickly. And this explains why their chirping goes into overdrive in the summer.
Fun Fact: The snowy tree cricket gives the most accurate temperature, earning it the nickname “thermometer cricket”!
How to Control the Cricket Noise
It’s often better to ignore the crickets unless they’ve invaded your space. Getting them out of your house is a good idea, but kicking them out of your outdoor area is harder than you think.
If those cricket sounds are driving you nuts and messing with your focus or sleep, there are some tricks you can use to deal with it. These methods are more about making peace with the situation rather than going gung-ho on them:
Tip No. 1: Invest in a White Noise Machine
A white noise generator is a nifty device that plays relaxing sounds to drown out surrounding noises. Having this on your bedside table will help you catch some quality Zs, especially if you live in the city.
If it can mask those loud honks, sirens, and other city noises, it can muffle those cricket chirps, too! Besides, it won’t burn a hole in your pocket. You can snag one from your local department store or order online.
Alternatively, you can download a white noise app and create your playlist. Just switch it on at bedtime, and enjoy your shut-eye!
Tip No. 2: Turn On the Electric Fan
If you don’t wish to spend a single cent on a white noise machine, running a fan might work.
Fans generate a comforting hum that many find calming, and their gentle noise can make a cricket’s trill a distant murmur.
Tip No. 3: Use Noise-Canceling Headphones
Ever thought about slipping on a pair of noise-canceling headphones? They’re handy when you want to unwind and block out annoying sounds.
With noise-canceling headphones, you can completely tune out the cricket song. Put these on during summer evenings when they’re the loudest.
Tip No. 4: Wear Ear Plugs
When the nighttime cricket symphony disrupts your peace, hit the mute button with a simple solution—earplugs.
The cheaper foam type can reduce noise by up to 32 decibels. However, foam is porous and can breed bacteria, so you must swap it regularly.
If you want something reusable, opt for a silicone or moldable wax earplug.
How to Keep Crickets Out of Your House
Some may find the chirping of crickets soothing. All’s well when they’re a good distance away, but it’s a different tune when they’re right under your roof.
Crickets are insects you typically hear rather than see. If you prefer to keep your home quiet, the logical thing to do is hunt the cricket down. Squash it or release it outdoors—totally your call.
Finding a cricket’s hiding spot is easy. Just follow the high-pitched noise, and it’ll shut it the moment you get close by. Step away, and the little concert starts up again.
The bug is black or brown, sometimes green, with a long antennae and thighs. Once you’ve located it, you can scoop it up using a cup and move it outside. Or, if you’re feeling less merciful, you can use a shoe or fly swatter to smack it, probably silencing it for good.
Grab some paper towels to pick up the cricket, and then clean and disinfect the areas.
And if you worry that it’ll fight back (it won’t!), you can try these tips to drive it away:
- Crickets seek out damp places to nest. Fix leaks, use a dehumidifier, and keep your place dry.
- Crickets aren’t fans of the cold, so crank up the air conditioning.
- Create traps with sweet and carb-loaded baits like syrup or honey. Getting stuck in sticky substances can disrupt their chirping.
- Sweep and vacuum areas where crickets hang out. This will also remove the eggs and nymphs.
- Make a homemade cricket trap using a soda can. Empty it, leaving a few drops, and place it on its side where you suspect those chirpers are hiding.
- Whip up an all-natural repellent spray by mixing water with a few drops of essential oil like peppermint, rosemary, or cinnamon.
- Flush out crickets using a vinegar solution (equal parts water and vinegar).
- Crickets are drawn to bright lights at night. Switch to yellow lights, turn off outdoor lights, or use a dimmer.
- Seal entry points. Fill holes in walls and foundations and caulk cracks near windows.
These tricks aren’t fool-proof, but they’re worth a shot.
How to Stop Crickets From Chirping
Tired of the cricket choir keeping you up at night? Here’s what you can do:
Tip No. 1: Tidy Up Your Yard
Remove clutter like wood piles, leaf litter, and other debris where crickets might seek refuge.
Make your lawn less cricket-friendly by mowing it regularly and pulling out weeds. Tall grasses harbor crickets and other insects.
Without cozy hideouts, they might decide to set up camp elsewhere. While this won’t guarantee a cricket-free zone, having a well-kept yard is still a win!
Tip No. 2: Use Insecticides
Putting up with cricket noise is a small price we pay for a balanced garden ecosystem. Before you go all out on the crickets, think hard if you really want to get rid of them.
Is their chirping a minor annoyance or a major nuisance? Are they nipping on your books, clothes, and carpeting?
If you’ve had enough, especially with those invasive mole crickets, insecticides can wipe them out. Look for products containing imidacloprid and bifenthrin; they work well against those soft-bodied crickets.
If you’re dead set on using insecticides, be surgical about it. Target the areas where crickets are causing the most trouble. You don’t want to nuke your entire backyard where other beneficial insects like bees and ladybugs live.
As an extra step, toss pesticide granules around your house’s perimeter to keep crickets from sneaking in.
Tip No. 3: Call for Professional Backup
If all else fails, it’s time for the heavy hitters! I’m talking about calling in the pest control experts.
Sure, it may be pricey, but desperate times call for professional measures!
If you want to steer clear of toxic chemicals found in pesticides, some exterminators offer eco-friendly options to deal with common pests.
Are Crickets Beneficial to Your Yard?
If you can’t stomach killing the poor things, your heart is in the right place. Sure, they might bug some people to the point of wanting them gone, but crickets are actually super helpful.
Crickets chomp down pesky insects like aphids and scales, which can wreak havoc on your plants. Sure, they might snack on leaves and fruits themselves, but it’s usually nothing plants can’t recover from.
What’s more, they devour weed seeds and help break down organic matter by eating dead leaves.
Most importantly, crickets may be part of your local ecosystem. Other critters in the area may depend on them for food, and disrupting the food chain could have unintended consequences.
Removing crickets might lead to an imbalance where pests thrive while beneficial creatures decline.
So, next time you hear those piercing trills, maybe cut the tiny hoppers some slack.
Are Crickets Harmful?
Crickets belong to the huge Gryllidae family. There are around 2,400 cricket species worldwide, and over a hundred can be found in the U.S.
Most types of crickets are harmless, but there’s one cricket from another family of insects you should be wary of—the mole cricket. Aside from plant materials, these winged tunnelers have quite an appetite for roots and crops.
They can also make a mess of any type of turfgrass. Bahia and Bermuda grass seem to be their favorites, claiming real estate from golf courses, sod farms, pastures, and even your lawn.
If you spot brown patches of dead grass, there’s a good chance there are mole cricket galleries underneath.
To confirm if you have an infestation, make a solution by adding 1–2 ounces of liquid dish detergent to a gallon of water. Then, drench the suspected mole cricket sites in the soapy mixture. If they’re inside the tunnels, they’ll crawl out for fresh air shortly.
Final Thoughts
Crickets are so loud because it’s how they communicate with each other. They sound off distinct calls for mating, courtship, and establishing territory.
When dealing with a cricket problem, choose the option that best suits your situation. Some of the ideas above are quite practical, while others are a bit more extreme.
Don’t let the noise get to you too much. Crickets won’t stick around forever, as they eventually perish during the cold months. So, rest assured, those cricket musicals will come to an end anyway.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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