The chirping of crickets can be a calming sound of summer, but it is not quite as calming when it comes from inside your house. Understanding more about crickets’ habits and living conditions can help prevent them from inhabiting your home.
Crickets vs Grasshoppers – The Main Differences
Although people frequently have a difficult time differentiating between crickets and grasshoppers, they are actually quite different. Their differences include:
- Coloring – One of the most obvious differences between grasshoppers and crickets is their color. While grasshoppers are typically green, crickets are much darker like brown or black.
- Size – Crickets and grasshoppers are different sizes. Grasshoppers are usually bigger, measuring up to about 4.5 inches long, while crickets are usually around 2 inches long.
- Antennae – Although both crickets and grasshoppers have antennae, they appear different. A crickets’ antennae are longer, typically as long as the crickets’ body. Grasshoppers, on the other hand, have much shorter antennae.
- Chirping Sound – A noticeable difference, from farther away, is the sound they make. While both species make a chirping sound, they make that sound using different parts of their body. Crickets make their chirping noise by rubbing their wings together, while grasshoppers make their chirping noise by rubbing one of their legs on their wing.
- Diet – What each species eat is also a big difference between grasshoppers and crickets. Crickets are omnivores, and therefore eat things like grass, fruit, bug larvae, and aphids (very small insects that eat sap.) Unlike crickets, grasshoppers are herbivores. Therefore, they eat seeds, flowers, and plant stems. While both are a little different, they can wreak havoc on your garden!
- Lifespan – Lifespan is another dramatic difference between the two. A cricket only has a lifespan of about eight to ten weeks, while a grasshopper’s lifespan is much longer. They live about twelve months.
- Number of Species – Aside from physical features, another difference between grasshoppers and crickets is the number of species they have. Grasshoppers have much more, with 11,000 different species. Crickets have much less, with 2,400 different species.
- Active Season – When it comes to active seasons, both crickets and grasshoppers like the warmth. Crickets are most active in the summer leading into the fall, while grasshoppers are most active in the spring leading into the summer.
- Sleep Style – The last major difference between crickets and grasshoppers is the times when they are active. Grasshoppers are out during the day, while crickets are active at night.
Crickets vs Grasshoppers – The Main Similarities
- Ancestry- Both crickets and grasshoppers belong to the Orthoptera family, which also includes locusts.
- Movement – Grasshoppers and crickets can both jump, and jump very far. Despite a difference in size between the two, their jumping lengths only differ by a few inches. Crickets can jump as far as three feet, while grasshoppers can jump about two and a half feet.
- Managing- They can both be managed with the help of a professional pest control company, like General Pest Control.
These Pests Impact on Your Home
As mentioned previously, crickets prefer warmer temperatures. Houses tend to be warmer than outside, and therefore, crickets like to live inside houses; especially in the winter months. Because of a cricket’s small size, they tend to sneak through little cracks or open doors. They can move quickly, which makes them pretty sneaky when entering your home.
If you enjoy gardening, keep an extra eye out for your plants and flowers because crickets like to eat plants; especially the newly-grown ones. Aside from just eating your plants, crickets create tunnels in the soil around the plant roots. These tunnels limit the water flow, causing the plants to become dehydrated and often die. Grasshoppers are also likely to eat the stems and leaves in your garden, resulting in the plants inability to grow.
When Crickets Chirp – Give General Pest Control a Ring
Although chirping is a pleasant sound, you don’t want to hear it coming from your home during the night, so pest control is great in preventing them from inhabiting. General Pest Control will keep the crickets, and their chirping, away from your home.