Have you ever found yourself on a hot summer night, hearing crickets chirp, wondering What Do Crickets Eat? If yes, then we are on the same page as I thought about the same and carried out in-depth research to gather the information that you will find in the content of this article. Take a look and discover everything you need to know!
Crickets Basics
Crickets are a type of jumping insect that belongs to the Gryllidae family and are found all over the world.
These insects have powerful hind legs, flat bodies, two pairs of wings, and very long antennae. They come in different colors and sizes, depending on their respective species.
Furthermore, crickets dwell in a variety of environments but are most commonly found in yards, barns, and basements.
When it comes to eating habits, there are a surprising variety of foods that crickets eat. Some of the most common food items include leaves, flowers, fruits, vegetable, and even other insects.
What do crickets eat?
Well, the simple answer to what do crickets eat? Will be a wide variety of food items! As you may know, crickets are insects that belong to the order Orthoptera, which also includes grasshoppers and katydids, so it makes sense that they would eat some of the same things.
However, crickets are not as picky as the grasshopper and the katydid.
These chirpy insects are omnivorous, which means that they eat both plants and animals. They typically eat various things, including leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, bark, and even other insects and their eggs.
Lets us understand the eating patterns in detail
What Do Crickets Eat in The Wild?
Crickets are omnivorous insects that eat a variety of different things in the wilder habitat. They will eat anything and everything from plants to other insects. This makes them versatile and hardy insects that can survive in a variety of environments.
What Do Different Species of Crickets Eat?
The world’s cricket species count exceeds 900. There are roughly 100 different types of cricket in the US. They all eat a variety of foods. Let’s comprehend what the various cricket species consume.
Field Crickets
A field cricket is a type of cricket that is found all over the world. They are omnivorous, which means that their diet includes plants, decaying matter, and fungi.
In addition to the plants they eat, field crickets can also consume insects. If there are plenty of insects around, the crickets will eat them. However, if there are no insects available, the crickets will still survive by eating the plants they find.
Camel Crickets
Camel crickets, also recognized as cave crickets, are found throughout the United States and can generally grow to more than an inch in size, but most cricket species only reach about a half-inch in length.
They are wingless and vary in color from light brown to black. They eat a surprising variety of foods, including other insects, fruits and vegetables, and even meat.
Interestingly, camel cricket is not limited to eating just plants. They will also eat other insects, which is why they are often found in dark and damp areas where other prey is readily available.
House Crickets
House crickets are small, brown cricket that is found in North America. They are used for bait by fishermen, as pet food, and also as a pest control agent.
They eat a surprising variety of foods, including other fruits and vegetables, cookies, fabrics, wallpaper, or dead insects but usually will not damage living plants.
The diet of these crickets is similar to the mole cricket species.
Weta Crickets
Weta crickets are a type of cricket that is mostly found in Africa and New Zealand. They are known for their large size, reaching up to 3 inches long, as well as their diet, which consists of a surprising variety of foods.
Weta crickets have been known to eat fruits, vegetables, flowers, bark, insects, and even other small animals (earthworms, beetles).
What’s more, the Weta cricket is a species of cricket that has been around since the dinosaurs’ age. They are one of the oldest and largest species of crickets in the world!
White-kneed Crickets
White-kneed crickets are a type of cricket found in areas that receive heavy rainfall. These creatures are typically white or light brown in color and have two prominent whitish stripes on their knees.
During the night, they forage for food. They eat a variety of things, including plant matter, other insects, and even small animals.
Giant-Crickets
Giant crickets are a type of cricket that can grow up to two inches long. They are found in Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, and some areas of North Africa.
Furthermore, these crickets are typically found in tropical or subtropical climates. These crickets feed on a variety of things, including flowers, leaves, fruits, and vegetables such as bananas and carrots.
What Do Crickets Eat in Your House?
Crickets will also consume food inside your house if they eat it outdoors. The best approach to prevent crickets from flying inside your house is to maintain it clean.
Bread and Grains
Grains are a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and other nutrients that pests need to survive. This is why they are such a common food source for crickets and other insects.
Having said that, one of the most important things you can do to avoid attracting pests into your home is to not leave any food out. This includes bread, grains, and other similar items.
If you have a cricket problem, it’s likely that they are being drawn in by the scent of food. Take care to properly store all food items and dispose of them properly when they’re no longer fresh.
Meat
Another common food item that attracts cricket to your home is meat. The probability of finding meat is higher in your house, particularly in the form of a dead or injured insect, dropped pieces of beef, chicken, etc.
In fact, many people who keep crickets as pets voluntarily feed them meat that they get from outside the home.
This can be in the form of pests, like grasshoppers, or other small animals, like mice. Some people even give their crickets raw meat or blood to eat.
Plants
Crickets are not just scavengers; they can also eat the plant’s roots and stems. This helps them to get the water and other nutrients they need to survive. Therefore house plants are a common attraction.
Furthermore, as you may already know, Insects are common in kitchens, and crickets are no exception. They can be found as ingredients in certain dishes or as pets. Crickets have a surprising variety of food items that they eat, including fruits, vegetables, and meat.
Pet Food
If you have a pet that is fed pet food, you may find that crickets are attracted to your home. This is because the pet food smells like the insects’ natural food sources.
In addition, there are some things you can do to help reduce the cricket population in your home. One is to keep food bags off the floor and away from where you spot the crickets. This will make it more difficult for them to access food and will limit their population.
Paper
It is common to find cricket damage in basements and attics. This is because these are the areas where crickets are generally limited in their food supply. When they cannot find enough food, they will eat through paper products such as boxes, insulation, and wallboard.
Egg Cartons
Like paper, most egg cartons are eaten away quickly by crickets. The cardboard and Styrofoam materials, in particular, are consumed at a high rate, so it is essential to closely monitor the cricket population if you have these materials around.
Fabric
Crickets are known to eat a variety of things, including fabric. In times of need, they will consume whatever is available to them in order to survive. This can include fabric, as well as other materials like paper and cardboard.
Having said that, when storing any fabric material, it is important to keep it in airtight containers. This will help to prevent cricket infestation, as the crickets are looking for a food source and will invade any unsealed fabric.
What to Feed a Pet Cricket in Captivity?
In order to keep a pet cricket healthy, you need to feed it on a regular basis. This means providing a bottle cap full of food every day.
Cricket in captivity can also eat raw fruits and vegetables, insects as well as dog food, or cat food.
Additional tips on caring for your pet cricket include:
- When keeping a cricket as a pet, you will need to provide them with a comfortable living space. This includes a wire mesh or sand enclosure with rocks and leaves for them to climb on. They also need access to sunlight and water.
- In order to keep crickets healthy, they need 16 hours of sunlight and 8 hours of darkness each day. This mimics their natural environment, where they would be active during the day and rest at night.
Do crickets eat other crickets?
Crickets are omnivores and can eat a variety of foods. This includes other crickets, as well as other insects, plants, and even small animals. If these insects are very hungry, they will eat just about anything.
However, crickets are not cannibals and will only eat other crickets if they are very hungry, and the other cricket is injured or unable to fight back. Injured crickets offer an easy meal, as they cannot defend themselves against a predator.
Are Crickets Harmful to Your Home?
While crickets may not be the most harmful pests to your home, they can still cause some damage. They are known to eat through fabrics, insulation, and even electrical wiring.
However, they are considered low-risk pests because they do not carry any diseases that can harm humans.
In general, these pests are not harmful to your home because they prefer plants as their first source of food and insects as their second choice, so most things inside your home will be safe.
However, if there is a cricket infestation and they run out of food options, they may start to nibble on other things in your house- but this is only a last resort.
How to keep plants safe from crickets?
Crickets can be a major nuisance in the garden as they can damage plants by eating their seeds or leaves. There are certain things you can undertake to keep them from invading your plants, though.
One is to use a cricket repellent. You can also try planting plants that crickets don’t like near your garden plants.
In fact, farmers and gardeners often use pesticides to kill cricket populations and protect their crops. While this is an effective solution, it can also be harmful to the environment.
Finally, you can also remove any debris or objects that might be providing shelter for the crickets.
Tips for Cricket Prevention and Control
It’s unpleasant if you find crickets in your house. They are noisy and might keep you up all night long as you search for them. Because they are masters at concealing, crickets are difficult to locate and capture.
You may take the actions listed below to make sure crickets cannot enter your house in order to prevent all the destruction that they can do.
Bear in mind that crickets might attract other pests to your house. Brown recluse spiders and rodents like rats or mice find them to be good sources of food.
Seal the Cracks and Entryways
Crickets are a common pest and can be difficult to get rid of. One way to help keep them out is by sealing up any entryways into your home.
This includes cracks around doors and windows, as well as holes in the walls or ceilings. You can use caulking, weatherstripping, or door sweeps to seal up these openings.
Proper Storage of Food
One of the top ways to prevent crickets from invading your food is to store it properly. Ensure storing all food items in airtight containers and in a cool, dark place. If you do find crickets in your food, discard them immediately.
De-clutter your Home
Another way to help limit the cricket population in your home is to de-clutter your living space. This means eliminating any unnecessary items that can provide shelter and food for crickets.
Clutter not only provides a comfortable place for crickets to live, but it can also be a source of food for them. By getting rid of excess clutter, you can make your home less hospitable to crickets and reduce their population.
Plant or garden away from your house
Crickets are attracted to plants and gardens, so it is important to keep them away from your home. If you have a cricket problem, try planting or keeping plants and gardens away from your house. This will help reduce the number of crickets that come into your home.
Spray around your home
An insecticidal spray that you may buy can deter pests from entering your house. Spray it all around your windows and doors. You may also walk all the way around the foundation. If you have young children or pets, be sure to carefully read the instructions and use guidelines.
Conclusion
There are a surprising amount of things that crickets will eat. To get rid of a cricket problem, you must first identify where they are coming from and what they are eating. Once you know the species of cricket, you can take appropriate action to get rid of them.