# What to do about a cricket **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355 "2008-07-05T06:06:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/1 "2008-07-05T06:06:57Z")
For the last week or so a cricket has been occupying my bedroom, annoying me by chirping when I watch TV or use the computer, or try to get to sleep. I don’t like the idea of using Raid or other bug sprays in a room where I sleep…what do I do about it? ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/2 "2008-07-05T06:08:03Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] For the last week or so a cricket has been occupying my bedroom, annoying me by chirping when I watch TV or use the computer, or try to get to sleep. I don’t like the idea of using Raid or other bug sprays in a room where I sleep…what do I do about it? [/QUOTE] Catch it and throw it outside. They don’t bite. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/3 "2008-07-05T06:22:21Z")
[QUOTE=Rhubarb] Catch it and throw it outside. They don’t bite. [/QUOTE] And how do I get someone to throw it to me? More to the point, I don’t know where it is. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/4 "2008-07-05T09:27:28Z")
Buy a pair of earphones and some earplugs. Let the cricket win. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/5 "2008-07-05T11:48:48Z")
Wasn’t this an episode of _Frasier_? You will need a gecko to find and eat the cricket. You will also need a long string, so you don’t lose the gecko. Don’t let it sell you car insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/6 "2008-07-05T11:51:14Z")
Use bug spray. If you open your windows and let the room air out for a few hours, you’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/7 "2008-07-05T12:49:05Z")
Get a pet praying mantis? More seriously, you can get glue traps for crickets at your nearest Home Despot. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/8 "2008-07-05T20:23:33Z")
Maybe leave a couple of lettuce leafs on a plate in the middle of your room in order to lure it out? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/9 "2008-07-05T20:50:40Z")
Some say that if you make the room pitch black, and then shine a tightly focused flashlight beam around while it’s chirping it will stop when the light hits it, and you can use that to find it. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/10 "2008-07-06T02:00:38Z")
Crickets bring good luck, so you should feel very lucky! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/11 "2008-07-06T02:19:50Z")
While the many posts so far have been somewhat useful, for true one hundred percent effectivenes… there can only be one method… Nuke them from orbit… its the only way to be sure… But seriously… The sad, lost little cricket has no food, no water, and will probably cease chirping in the next few days or so, from “natural causes”, eventually to become foder for your vacuum cleaner… Regards FML PS\_ In my teen yrs, I had Guinea Pigs in my bedroom, and regualrly brought in big handfulls of Clover from the outside, which was like crack to them. I also wound up with about 1/2 dozen (estimated) crickets in my room who had “hitch hiked” in with the plant materials… Would have nuked em from orbit if I had the chance… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/12 "2008-07-06T02:25:28Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] Use bug spray. If you open your windows and let the room air out for a few hours, you’ll be fine. [/QUOTE] Unless he’s a giant cockroach. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/13 "2008-07-06T03:51:29Z")
My crickets just share the house with me. I buy them in boxes of 1000 and keep them in a plastic tub in a side bedroom (at least during the summer; during the cooler months they can stay outside on the porch). Escapes are inevitable, so I just let them peacefully coexist. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/14 "2008-07-06T04:21:37Z")
Carve a puppet, then wish on the first star of the evening for the puppet to become a real boy. The rest should take care of itself. If you already have kids, this might not work. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/15 "2008-07-06T04:23:15Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] More to the point, I don’t know where it is. [/QUOTE] Let your conscience be your guide. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/16 "2008-07-06T04:55:57Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Unless he’s a giant cockroach. [/QUOTE] In that case, I reccomend a harpoon. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/17 "2008-07-06T05:41:46Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Unless he’s a giant cockroach. [/QUOTE] You know, cloves and a Roach Motel might do the job… ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/18 "2008-07-06T08:26:42Z")
I had an infestation of very noisy crickets. I finally solved the problem by putting out some commercial cricket traps. They are sheets of thin cardboard that are coated on one side with glue and a bait that is attractive to many insects. You fold them up and place them against the wall. > **[cooperseeds.com](http://www.cooperseeds.com/pestproducts.php3?prod=pheromone_roachtraps)** > > Deer Seeds,Deer Plot Seeds,Seeds,Wholesale Seeds,Organic Garden Pest Control,Garden Seeds,Vegetable Plants and Seeds,Heirloom Garden Seeds,Organic Vegetable Seeds,When to Plant Tomato Seeds ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/19 "2008-07-06T14:01:53Z")
I had a Cricket problem at the bottom of my garden and it was a right pain in the backside. Twenty two men plus umpires running around shouting"Owzat!" every so often ,throwing balls about playing with their stumps. I shot them in the end so I can now enjoy my garden in peace. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355/20 "2008-07-06T14:48:27Z")
It’s probably hiding under the bed or some such. If it comes out, you can pretty much pick it up & toss it outside. If it doesn’t, it’ll probably die eventually (& pretty soon) anyway. I wouldn’t recommend bug spray to kill a single bug. In the long term, bug sprays can do some weird damage to your local insect ecology, because trace amounts will encourage low-in-the-food-chain pests to develop resistance, but bioaccumulation can wipe out their predators. Therefore, don’t use it if you have a reasonable alternative. (And yes, I know this is indoors. It’s the transfer of trace amounts outdoors & the travel of tiny creatures back & forth that I worry about.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-a-cricket/455355.md?page=2)