How to Keep Crickets Away

Crickets are quite the pest in parts of North America. They’re not necessarily destructive to building materials, but crickets are unsightly, eat your clothes, and get pretty loud. No one wants insects inside, so let us show you how to keep crickets away with these proven tips and tricks.

Depending on where you live, crickets may be a big concern throughout the year. There are hundreds of cricket species, so it’s not uncommon to see a field cricket in the tall grass, a cave cricket in your cozy crawl space, or a camel cricket on the porch. Female crickets lay up to one hundred eggs a day, and the male crickets won’t stop making noise about it.

Crickets aren’t all bad news, though. Many cricket species are beneficial for gardeners and provide essential nutrition within the food chain. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re welcome in your home or on your plants. We’ve assembled an excellent list of how-to solutions to kick any creepy crawlies back to the property line.

Discover the Best Way to Keep Crickets Away

Learn how to keep crickets away with these detailed, proven suggestions for effective pest control. Take back your home and your yard with these easy tips for everyone.

Plant Alliums Around Your Yard

The most efficient way to stop spider crickets from entering your yard is with a bit of prevention. Start cricket control by making the yard a place they don’t want to hang out. Grow smelly alliums outside like onion, garlic, and chive to repel pests and attract pollinators. Alliums repel spider crickets, field crickets, grasshoppers, and more.

Some flowers are effective repellents as well. Place potted marigolds around your entry points and intersperse them throughout the garden to signal that pests are not welcome. Companion planting is only one of many effective, natural ways to keep crickets away.

Try This Molasses Trap

Here’s a simple, non-toxic molasses mixture to cure your house cricket infestation. The syrupy smell of molasses lures any hidden pests and acts as a sticky trap for every house cricket, camel cricket, or field cricket trying to set up in your space. Cleanup is quick, and this recipe makes as many traps as you have molasses.

The molasses trap is affordable, effective, and safe if you have little folks running around the house. First, fill a large bowl about halfway with water, pour the molasses in, and give it a good stir. Leave the bowl near entry points, the crawl space, or anywhere else you suspect a cricket infestation. Check the trap daily and dispose of anything inside.

Cricket Bait

What keeps crickets away from outdoor structures like the shed, garage, or greenhouse? Many homeowners with serious pest control problems recommend a granular cricket bait. There are quite a few weather-resistant granular baits for busy folks who want to sprinkle outside and go.

Granular cricket bait has an active insecticidal ingredient called Hydramethylnon, and it’s very effective against most any cricket species and ants, cockroaches, and termites.

Spread granular cricket bait within a 2-foot radius of outdoor structures and replace as necessary. This method isn’t for people with pets or small children, as it’s challenging to ensure they stay away from the areas you’ve treated.

Boric Acid Bait Balls

You may know boric acid more commonly as Borax, a household cleaner, but it’s also a very effective pesticide. Boric acid contains sodium borate salts that work like a broad-spectrum pesticide.

Boric acid works against fungi, weeds, algae, crickets, and other invasive organisms. Boric acid-based pesticides come as liquids, powders, or tablets, but this recipe contains granular boric acid.

To make the easiest and best bait for a cricket trap, cream the bacon grease and sugar, adding the flour, boric acid, and onion. Add enough drops of water to form a dough-like consistency. Roll up as many balls as you need, usually just a few in high traffic locations, and place them near problem areas.

Any pests who stop by for a bite are going to regret it. Boric acid bait balls leave a bit of a greasy residue, so place them on little squares of tinfoil or coffee can lids.

Note: Don’t leave bacon-scented bait balls out if you have pets or children.

Natural Ways to Keep Crickets Away

When it comes to ideas for how to keep crickets away, plenty of people swear by things found in the kitchen; one very popular option is capsaicin or chili peppers. Many pests find the smell pretty objectionable and avoid it entirely.

Hot pepper repellents deter deer, rabbits, and squirrels from your valuable vegetables. Pulverizing spicy peppers is tricky, though, and the potential to burn your eyes is real. Use caution with hot peppers; always wear gloves, and don’t let the kids to help with this one.

Neem Oil for Persistent Pests

Let’s learn a bit about how to keep crickets away with neem oil. The seeds and fruit of the Azadirachta indica or Neem tree are pressed and processed for commercial use. The active ingredient, Azadirachtin, is separated and used in neem oil-based pest control products.

Pure, cold-pressed neem oil is classified as a botanical insecticide and works as a direct-spray method to eliminate pests through suffocation and impeding their ability to lay eggs.

Agriculturalists have used neem oil for hundreds of years, and it’s not considered toxic to mammals. However, like any super-concentrated ingredient, it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s directions precisely and use it in cooperation with other pest control solutions.

Try Limonene for Crickets

Limonene is derived from the concentrated oil of citrus fruit peels. Also called d-Limonene, it is a direct-contact insecticide that works on a range of pests, such as field crickets, cave crickets, Jerusalem crickets, and cockroaches.

Touted as one of the proven natural ways to keep crickets away, limonene is a common ingredient in many organic insecticides. It’s considered non-toxic to humans and safe to spray around pets and children. Make a natural cricket repellent with lemon juice and water or drop citrus peels around the perimeter of your house.

How to Keep Crickets Away with Dish Soap

A bit of soapy water never hurt anyone, except the mole crickets camping out in your yard. Dish soap usually tops the list of home remedies for keeping crickets out, and it’s surprisingly simple.

Get a bucket of hot water, mix in a few tablespoons of dish soap and pour it straight into the dirt mounds. Continue daily until the crickets decide to pack up and shove off. Dish soap is an easy, natural pest control technique that works; it won’t harm plants and doesn’t hang around in garden soil like heavy chemicals.

Pyrethrin for Common Pests

Pyrethrin is an insecticide made from the powdered flowerhead of the Dalmatian chrysanthemum, which looks like a type of daisy. There are six naturally occurring compounds called “pyrethrins,” extracted from the raw flower head as a resin and then used in a range of effective insecticides.

Pyrethrin is quite powerful, and direct contact paralyzes pests almost immediately. However, as insects metabolize pyrethrins quickly, they may recover if not disposed of right away.

Essential Oils as Pest Repellent

Essential oils are concentrated chemical compounds extracted from plant parts, and are popular in aromatherapy diffuser kits, but certain oils are also used in many non-toxic indoor pesticides.

It is believed that the intense plant compounds disrupt the neurotransmitters of unwanted insects and will effectively prevent crickets from getting comfortable.

Fill the spray bottle with 20 ounces of water, and add 15 drops of oil. Give it a good shake and spray around entry points, windows, and vents. To get rid of spider crickets naturally, apply every few days during peak pest season, and you should see the cricket problem disappear.

Choose essential oils like sage, clove, garlic, and basil. Many people already have tea tree oil in the bathroom, but it is toxic to dogs and cats if that’s a concern for you.

Insecticidal Soaps to Keep Pests Out

Insecticidal soaps offer a low-toxicity alternative and are considered one of the safest pest control methods for those concerned about birds, pollinators, and biodiversity. They’re inexpensive, leave no harsh chemical leftovers, and are generally safe for use around pets.

Spray on plants near the front door to keep hungry crickets from finding a snack and inviting friends. Use insecticidal soaps according to the directions and as part of a pest control management plan.

Diatomaceous Earth for Crickets

Minerals make a great defense against all sorts of arthropod invaders. Diatomaceous earth is an easy-to-use powder that damages bugs’ exoskeletons, drying them out and killing them. It may sound intense, but diatomaceous earth isn’t toxic to mammals and works well for use indoors under appliances and cabinets.

To use diatomaceous earth for crickets, spread the powder and any entry points or problem areas where crickets and other pests can gain access. It’s particularly useful for crickets in the basement. Diatomaceous earth may irritate the skin after prolonged use; always use gloves and wash your hands after application.

Exterior Insecticide

There are plenty of exterior insecticides available for aggressive pest infestations and to keep mole crickets out. However, we can often reduce the need for harsh chemicals by doing a bit of preventative maintenance around the yard.

Move the woodpile away from the house, fix torn weather stripping on the doors, and address cement cracks in the garage. If cricket noise is a regular occurrence in your yard, keep an eye out for anything that needs fixing.

Crickets can jump about three feet; securing vents and torn windscreens is a must. Exterior insecticides are affordable and readily available but shouldn’t be relied upon as the only method of cricket control.

Kaolin Clay to Create a Barrier

Kaolin clay is a natural substance that, when mixed with water, creates a confusing barrier for crickets. This unique clay comes as a white powder and blends into a convenient spray for those looking to minimize the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides.

Use a sterilized spray bottle or garden sprayer for larger spaces. Pour the kaolin clay powder into the water and mix well. Spray bi-weekly on high-traffic areas to create a barrier to entry.

Spray doorways, vents, garage doors, and even the garden. Kaolin clay is safe enough to use right up to harvest time and won’t cause harm to delicate plant tissues or mammals.

Professional Pest Control

Sometimes, the natural ways to keep crickets away aren’t enough, and we need to explore other options. In the face of a serious pest control problem, nothing beats support from professionals. Many pest control companies offer free estimates; a technician comes to your home, advises you of the options, and provides a quote for service.

Pest control professionals have a wealth of expertise, specialized tools, and advanced systems for prevention. More and more professional pest control services now employ natural insecticides, too. There are many options for those who are torn between calling for help and being concerned about lingering chemical effects.

There’s no single correct plan for how to keep crickets away, and successful treatment includes more than one answer to the problem. Decide what’s right for your needs, and devise a pest strategy to keep on top of things. That’s a lot of pest management information, but we hope you feel confident and ready to get started on cricket control.

The best way to keep crickets away is to stay informed and active and always be willing to try new solutions. Consider pets or other factors before leaping for chemical pesticides, and use caution around children.

Feel free to consult with your local wildlife control or conservation organization. They often have expert advice the staff is eager to share.

We hope you liked learning how to keep crickets away, and if so, please share these tips with a friend on Pinterest or Facebook who needs a little help in the pest defense department.