End the chirping — and the chewed fabric — with targeted cricket control.
A cricket chirping outside on a summer evening is charming. The same cricket chirping inside your bedroom wall at 2 a.m. is not. Every fall, field crickets across southern Wisconsin mature into adults and head indoors seeking warmth — and in bad years, a few strays can become an infestation feeding on fabric, paper and stored items in your basement.
Strib Pest Control uses modern formulations and eco-friendly techniques to eliminate crickets inside and out, with treatments that are safe for pets and children.
Field crickets — the common culprit in our area — are black to brown and grow up to 1.5 inches long. They mature within a single season, and the small crickets hopping around your yard in July become the full-grown adults probing your foundation for entry points by September.
Signs you have more than a stray or two:
Crickets don't bite or spread disease, but indoors they're surprisingly destructive opportunists. They'll feed on clothing, curtains and carpet (especially soiled fabric), discarded paper, wallpaper glue, pet food, garbage, mold and even damp wood under sinks and bathrooms. In severe infestations the damage adds up quickly — and the nightly chirping alone is enough to ruin your sleep.
We start by finding out where crickets are getting in and what's attracting them — usually a combination of moisture, harborage and exterior lighting. Treatment typically combines a targeted exterior perimeter application, baiting in basements and crawl spaces, and moisture-area treatment where crickets congregate. Because crickets breed outdoors, controlling the population around your foundation is what keeps them from coming back inside.
Field crickets reach adulthood in late summer, and as Wisconsin nights cool in September they move toward warmth — your foundation. Fall is the peak season for indoor cricket invasions, which is why a late-summer perimeter treatment is so effective.
Yes. Indoors, crickets chew on fabric, paper, wallpaper, stored food and pet food. Damage from a few crickets is minor, but established populations in a basement can ruin clothing, documents and furnishings.
The chirper is a male calling from a dark, protected spot — often a basement wall or floor drain area. A flashlight sweep may find him, but if you hear chirping regularly there are usually more. A targeted treatment resolves it within days.
Fast, honest, guaranteed pest control across Madison and Dane County.
