What is a Cricket Trap?

Crickets can be one of the most troublesome pests, invading gardens and homes, not to mention the loud chirping sound. Crickets are notoriously hard to control, with one female capable of laying hundreds of eggs, they can feed on just about anything including paper, wood, fabric, and many kinds of food. There are a number of solutions designed to eliminate these pests with varying degrees of success. Choosing a good trap is essential for controlling these insects.

Glue Traps

This type of cricket trap uses a strip of adhesive material to trap crickets and other insects. They are usually baited with some form of insect attractant meant to lure the cricket onto the strip. Once there, the cricket's legs get stuck to the sticky material allowing the user to simply pick up the trap and dispose of the crickets stuck to it. The disadvantage to this trap is that the glue may become less sticky over time allowing the cricket to escape.

The ideal location for glue traps are along walls where crickets like to walk and hide. Baseboards, by heating or air conditioning registers, and any doorways are excellent locations for setting traps. Generally they are good for 1-2 months, depending on the brand.

The traps also serve an additional purpose of finding out where the crickets are coming from. Crickets start outside the home, and then work their way indoors. Traps that get filled much faster would indicate a more vulnerable entry point for the crickets and particular attention should be given to that specific location of the house.

Water Trap

This is a simple trap that can be constructed at home with normal household ingredients. Simply take a dish of water and mix some molasses or vanilla extract and a little lemon juice. The crickets will be attracted to this mixture (these ingredients are often used in to the glue traps as well to make them attractive to the crickets). Once they enter the water though they will drown and the user can dispose of them later.

Though cheap and homemade, to be effective the trap must be accessible to the crickets or they will not be able to fall into the water. A dish with low walls is good, but it cannot be too shallow or the crickets will be able to escape this form of cricket trap.

Insecticide

If cricket traps do not do the trick, then it may be time to turn to more powerful means of pest control. While not technically a "trap" sometimes using insecticide is the only option. Crickets are extremely hard to control once their populations grow and a home is overwhelmed. In this case, the best cricket trap is a good exterminator.