Pest Spotlight: Field Crickets In Terre Haute

Isn’t it odd that you don’t have to know what a cricket looks like for them to infuriate you completely? It's almost impossible to get a restful night’s sleep through those incessantly loud, high-pitched, chirping noises. At Action Pest Control, we understand the frustration and provide the most effective pest control in Terre Haute to ensure your sleep remains uninterrupted. Read on to learn more about these peculiar insects and their bizarre behavior.

Do Field Crickets Fly?

Even though field crickets have fully formed, functional wings, most cricket species in the United States cannot fly. However, some house and field crickets use their wings to fly toward light sources when it’s dark outside. Crickets use their wings predominantly for communication, specifically during mating season. Many people think because crickets are incredible jumpers that, they can fly. They use their wings to assist in staying airborne over short distances that allow them to glide after each jump.

Why Do Field Crickets Chirp?

As irritating as cricket sounds can be, there is a surprising reason why these insects make noises throughout the night. For starters, only male crickets chirp. They do so as a call to attract females and deter other males. When the insect rubs its front two wings together, it makes this sound intensified by the wing surface. There are multiple species of field crickets that perform this calling song, which include:

• Eastern Striped Cricket
• Southern Wood Cricket
• Sand Field Cricket
• Southeastern Field Cricket

However, the taciturn wood cricket is the only field cricket that does not perform a mating song but does perform a courting song. There are various songs in a cricket species’ repertoire, such as:

• Calling Song: To attract females and repel males.
• Courting Song: To encourage nearby females to mate with the caller.
• Triumphal Song: To signal successful mating and encourage the female to lay eggs instead of finding another male.

There is also an aggressive song that male crickets make when their chemoreceptors detect the presence of another male nearby. But no matter the song, they’re all annoying and can keep you up at night. Your local pest control can help make bedtime bearable again as they possess the knowledge and resources to eliminate all types of crickets successfully.

Why Are Field Crickets Making Noise At Night?

Only male field crickets make noises to attract females for mating. They produce these loud sounds by stridulation when a cricket rubs its two wings or legs together. The actual organ responsible for causing you sleepless nights is on the insect’s fore wing, or tegmen, which has a leathery texture. The main part of the tegmen consists of the “harp,” which amplifies the volume. Interestingly, female crickets do not chirp because they lack the required adaptations to stridulate.  

What Can I Do To Remove The Field Crickets Hiding In My House?

It’s bad enough to discover that pests are hiding somewhere in your home. But it’s even worse when those insects make irritatingly high-pitched chirping noises that disturb your sleep. Before you lose another night’s rest, enlist the services of an experienced exterminating company to get rid of crickets in your house. They have the knowledge and resources to eliminate crickets in Terre Haute effectively.

Our friendly team of technicians at Action Pest Control is well-equipped to swiftly eliminate crickets in your house so you can sleep comfortably again. We’ve been providing exceptional service to residents in Terre Haute and the surrounding areas for years. We can customize a treatment plan that meets your needs with environmentally-friendly options. Contact us today to request your free inspection.