Best Management Practices

Crickets

Crickets are in the same Orthoptera Family with grasshoppers, locust and katydids.  Crickets along with cockroaches and ants are the most common home invading pest.  The cricket's eggs hatch in late spring or early summer.  Immature nymph crickets feed on grasses and weeds. The cricket nymphs reach maturity in approximately three months after hatching.  The crickets mature in late summer, lay eggs and in most areas, die from old age or cold temperatures. 
 
An application of a quality professional insecticide barrier outdoors around windows, doors, vents, weep holes, plumbing, electrical entry points and other possible entry points will greatly reduce the problem.  Applying a perimeter band around the structure, three feet high and to the ground (on exterior walls) as well as a five to ten foot wide area on the ground creates a barrier that will not only kills active crickets and other insects but also prevents outdoor bugs from becoming indoor pests.  In areas of infestation,  the barrier should extend all the way to the source if possible.

Quality insecticides that provide a residual to be used for as a peremiter spray are Demand CS, Demon Max,  Suspend SC , and Talstar P.  When these products are used in accordance with the product label they are safe, effective and easy to use. 

Other options include the convenience of an aerosol like CB Air Devil HPX, CB D - Force, CB Borid Turbo, CB Intuder HPX, CY Kick Phantom PT or Orthene.  These aerosols provide ease of operation plus an effective residual.  Baits are one other effective option and two effective quality baits are Larva-Lur and Max Force Insect Bait.

Dusts are another option for difficult to reach and low traffic areas like the attic, wall voids, and crawl spaces.  Excellent dusts for cricket control are Delta Dust, Drione Powder, Tempo 1% Dust and are efficiently applied with the JT Eaton 530 Duster.  Dusts may also be applied using the aerosol dust CB Borid Turbo, and Perma-Dust. 

Yard areas may also treated by spreading a granular in the same manner as applying a fertilizer when using insecticide granulars like DeltaGard G Granular, Demand G Granular, Talstar EZ Granular and Talstar PL Granular. 
 
As with all pest control products, follow product label directions, safety procedures and wear proper safety equipment.

Best Management Practices courtesy of:

  Bes-Tex Supply, LLC     P.O. Box 664       San Angelo, Texas 76902    Ph. 325-653-1300