How to get rid of crickets in the house
House crickets and field crickets sneak in through gaps around doors, vents, and basement walls — usually one or two at a time. The fix is a combination of sealing entries, removing the moist hiding spots they love, and sticky traps in basements/garages to catch the few that get in.
Tools
- ✓Crickets hide in dark corners, behind appliances, and in basement crevices.
- ✓
- ✓
Materials
- +Place flat along baseboards in basements, garages, and laundry rooms. Most effective single product against crickets.
- +Seal gaps around dryer vents, pipe penetrations, sill plate, and basement window frames.
- +Most crickets walk in under exterior doors. A new sweep stops 60% of intrusions.
- +Spray a 3-foot perimeter band around the outside foundation and at door thresholds.
Steps
-
1
Find where they're coming in
Crickets follow moisture and light. Look at door thresholds (especially the garage-to-house door), dryer vents, basement window wells, and sill plate gaps. Loud chirping at night points to one or two crickets — you don't have an infestation.
-
2
Set glue traps in the right spots
Place Catchmaster traps flat along the wall in basements, laundry rooms, garages, and any room where you've heard chirping. Behind the dryer is the #1 spot.
Tip: Crickets walk along walls, not across rooms. Trap placement matters more than trap quantity. -
3
Seal the entry points
Caulk gaps around pipe penetrations, replace torn door sweeps, screen any open vents. Pay special attention to where the foundation meets siding.
-
4
Cut the outdoor habitat
Move firewood at least 20 feet from the house, trim grass and weeds back from the foundation, and replace white exterior bulbs with yellow 'bug lights' near doors. Crickets are drawn to white light.
-
5
Perimeter spray (optional)
Spray Ortho Home Defense as a 3-foot band along the outside foundation and at door thresholds, especially before fall when crickets seek shelter.
-
6