Grilling in the house: what to do?

The chirping of the crickets reminds us of sun and vacation. If it comes from your own four walls, it is an annoying nuisance. And you want to get rid of the unwanted roommates quickly. Unfortunately, this is not that easy, because the house cricket is a clever insect. Since they cannot be seen during the day, fighting or Driving away the pests made even more difficult. Nevertheless, there are home remedies that can help you fight the plague.

Crickets

House crickets, also known as house crickets, belong to the family of real crickets (Gryllidae). Of the more than 100 different species, the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) in particular likes to settle near human settlements. Since the insects reach a maximum size of 20 millimeters, their intrusion into the house and apartment is often only noticed when the sexually mature males start their song, the famous chirping. The harmless house crickets are not really pests, but rather

Pests, because their nocturnal singing can rob us of sleep. If the insects also attack food, then for many the fun finally stops.

Appearance

The body of the winged crickets is straw yellow to yellow-brown in its basic color. The pronotum and head are drawn from dark brown to black. Although males and females differ in terms of the drawing of the forewings, apart from that, no difference can be seen with the naked eye.

Life cycle

Without protection, the house cricket will not survive the German winter outdoors. That is why human dwellings are also popular living spaces for insects, because it is warm there and the animals can also find food there. If the females were attracted by the chirping, they lay 1,100 to 2,600 eggs two to three days after mating, depending on how the female has previously fed, whereby after animal diet the number of eggs laid is far greater than with herbal. The eggs themselves are 0.3 by 2.3 millimeters long and are preferred in moist soil, vegetable scraps (Organic waste!), Sawdust, but also in carpets (fluffy) or in cracks in wood (floors and walls) filed. Depending on the temperature, the new generation hatches after about 8.5 to 54 days. After that, the larvae grow into adult animals in 87 to 126 days, depending on the temperature and food availability.

Eating behavior and habitats

House barbecues are omnivores, but prefer animal food. Therefore, food and waste are also on their menu. Preferred living spaces in human four walls are warm rooms that also provide the insects with food, such as cardboard boxes or textiles. These include, for example:

• Boiler rooms
• Pantries
• living rooms

tip: In the garden, in addition to their natural habitats, you will also enjoy garbage cans or compost heaps.

Get rid of crickets

Clean

Before you start setting up the traps, you should thoroughly study the affected rooms clean with hot water and appropriate cleaning agents to give the crickets the basic food they need revoke. This makes it easier for the “hungry” insects to fall into the trap. In addition, the thorough cleaning also removes eggs that have already been laid. To get the eggs well, you should go to one vacuum cleaner with high performance, because it sucks the youngsters not only out of carpets, but also out of cracks and joints.

tip: Take the vacuum cleaner bag out of the vacuum cleaner after vacuuming and dispose of it in a plastic bag.

Measures and home remedies

Since crickets are nocturnal insects, we rarely see them. Therefore, measures must be taken against the pests who lure them out of their hiding place so that they fall into the trap. The actual fighting takes place during the night.

Honey and molasses

Even if house barbecues prefer animal food, they have a passion for sweets. You can take advantage of this fact when fighting.

Put molasses or honey with water in a shallow bowl and place it near the presumed hiding place of the crickets. Take the scent of the mixture, jump into the bowl to get at the molasses. The water makes it impossible for them to escape and the animals drown.

tip: Renew the mixture regularly and remove dead insects.

Glue traps

To make a glue trap yourself, you need a double-sided tape and honey or sugar as an attractant. Apply the tape generously in front of the supposed hiding places of the crickets. Then apply sugar or honey, the latter sticks better, to the tape. Immediately remove insects that have fallen into a trap together with the adhesive tape so that conspecifics are not "warned" by the dead animals.

Secure food supplies

While home barbecues aren't fussy about food, they prefer food to cardboard boxes. Therefore, you should clean the storage room well and fill the supplies in well-sealable containers. A natural barrier will help you keep the animals away from the food:

• Brush the vinegar around the food
• sprinkle with hot pepper

Since they do not overcome this natural barrier, they are deprived of their food source. In this way you can drive away the insects, because sooner or later they will look for "better" quarters.

Prevent

Once the unwanted guests have settled in, getting rid of the animals is often not that easy. Therefore, preventive measures should be taken so that the insects do not even get comfortable with you.

House and garden

Crickets slip inside through the smallest cracks. Therefore, all holes, cracks and crevices on house walls, doors and windows should be tightly sealed. If possible, piles of wood and compost heaps should be placed further away from the house. Regular cleaning of gutters and rain gutters robs insects of popular breeding places.

Since barbecues feel very comfortable in tall grass, you should use the lawn regularlymowing. If bushes and bushes are thinned out regularly, they are less attractive for crickets. Rubbish bins should always be tightly closed both indoors and outdoors.

Light sources

Crickets are attracted to light. Therefore, you should avoid permanent lighting near the house. For evening hours on the balcony, subdued light sources, such as special lamps against insects, are recommended. If living rooms are only ventilated in the evening or during the night in summer, then you should switch off the light, or at least switch it off draw the curtains, because fully-lit living rooms mistakenly see crickets as an invitation to you to move in.