Hi,
I live in a first floor apartment. I moved in last spring. Soon after that I had a very bad cricket infestation. I didn’t know what to do. The apartment management told me they’d spray, but if they did, it didn’t have any affect on the crickets.
I’ve got a very severe insect phobia. I doubt I’ll survive another season with crickets. I’ve been dreading the coming warm weather when they’ll be everywhere in my apartment, no matter how much I clean everything.
I saw your site on the internet, but I have no experience & don’t know what to order. I’d like something that kills them instantly forever. I read that I need to treat the outside as well as inside. Could you please advise me on what product would work best in my situation?
I don’t have a lot of money, but what I do have I’ll gladly spend to get rid of those horrible creatures.
Please let me know as soon as possible. I expect them to arrive any day now & I’m really scared.
Thank you so much for your help.
Crickets can be an annoying pest if left to roam about on their own adjacent to the structure. The most common ones that find their way inside are the field and cave (camel back) crickets. Controlling either is fairly easy and with the right combination of products, you should be able to keep them out of your living area. Unfortunately if they are breeding in some “common ground” of your apartment building like a crawl space or attic, not being able to treat such spaces means you’ll constantly have to combat them in your living area.
For starters, try to get a handle on where they are coming from. Do you think it’s the outside, around the main entrance points to your apartment? Are you on a lower level unit, like a garden apartment, and the crickets might be coming up from a crawl space or basement? Are you residing on the top of a large building and just under the attic space? Knowing where they might be coming from will make the treatment process go a lot better because if you know where they are mostly living, you should be able to go after them directly and get faster, more permanent results.
On the inside, there are two things you should do. First, place out some CRICKET TRAPS in any room where you’ve seen crickets active. Second, bait with the NIBAN FG in these same areas. Since foraging crickets need food, the Niban will be accepted and ultimately will kill any that eat some thus offering good control for inside living areas. The Trap will help keep foraging minimized; they will readily catch crickets and are ideal for getting a good idea on where the problem might be centered or focused so install some in every room. Over time you should be able to see a distinct pattern as to which room’s’ are having the most activity which should then reveal where the crickets are coming from and where they are most concentrated. Once you know this information, you can target these locations and treat extra heavy there to get them where it counts.
Lastly, try to spray the outside where they are entering with the ESFENVALERATE as described in our CRICKET CONTROL ARTICLE. This perimeter treatment should keep them outside which in turn will reduce the numbers being seen in your living area.
If you learn they are probably coming from a crawl space or other common location, getting access to this area and treating it could ultimately be your best method of control. In an apartment building, this usually is not so easy to find but in some cases the management will work hand in hand with you to solve the problem. Remember you can always call us toll free at 1.800.877.7290 too if you get stuck or need some advice. Good luck!!
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Cricket Traps: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1361.html
Niban FG: http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/granule/niban-fg-3-lb
Esfenvalerate: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/conquer-esfenvalerate
Cricket Control Article: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page409.html
sadie says
thanks for posting this questison and answers because i am dealing with the exact same issues…the strange thing is that we have lived in this ground floor apartment for over 10 years and never had a cricket infestation until last summer…and now once again this summer…just want them to go away…they are noisy and disgusting insects…additionally they are driving my poor old cat crazy…really concerned that the chemicals will affect her …can you please advise on the subject of toxicicity and pets
admin says
@sadie: Concerning the toxicity of our products and their use around pets and people; they don’t pose a hazard when used properly. We have complete directions posted for each item on their respective product pages. In general, the concentrates need to be stored away from where children and pets have access. And when treating, the kids and pets need to be away from the area. But once treatments are allowed to dry, everyone can return to normal patterns of behavior without concern. Review our safety video’s for a more detailed explanation; they can be seen on this page:
https://www.bugspray.net/video/product-safety-first
guest says
I am terrified of bugs and live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building. I live alone so am even more afraid when I see a cricket. I think someone in my building buys crickets at the pet store (these kind don’t chirp) to feed to his lizard or iguana. How could these crickets come to my apartment. I think the suspect lives on the 3rd floor. I am afraid to go to bed. Please tell me what to do to get them to stop coming in to my apartment. I usually find one in the bathroom waiting. Thanks.
Tech Support says
@guest: Since you can’t control what other tenants might be doing, your only option here is to move or deal with the problem head on. To deal with it head on, you should put up a preventive barrier through which they won’t be able to migrate. And though you say they’re mostly in the bathroom, it’s tough to say just where they’re entering from. So for now, it would be best to locate this wall or side of entry.
To do this, you should set out some Cricket Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/scorpion-insect-lizard-15-pk
Set out a bunch. Maybe 6-12. In the next few weeks, you should start to see at least 1-2 of these traps catch something. This will alert you to the problem entry point.
Once this point is known, you should treat it. You’ll need to focus in on the cracks and crevices through which they’re no doubt moving. To treat, use Dforce Aerosol: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/d-force-14-oz-aerosol
It will put in place a line of defense they won’t want to cross and should resolve the problem unless they learn of another pathway into your apartment that you hadn’t treated. Good luck!