Listen forInsects
Why a cricket starts chirping inside the house in September
When: September to October
When nights turn cool in September, field crickets slip indoors for warmth, which is why a chirp suddenly starts up behind the bookcase or under the basement stairs.
Why this time of year
Crickets head indoors once outdoor temperatures start to drop, so the first cool stretches of September and October are exactly when the house chirper appears.
How to notice it
- Listen at dusk near the basement, the garage, or a warm corner of the house.
- The singer is a male field or house cricket, chirping by rubbing his wings together; only the males chirp.
- Try to walk toward the sound; a cricket goes silent when you get close, then starts again once you hold still.
- A big-legged, humpbacked cricket in the basement that never chirps is a camel cricket; the singers are the field crickets.
Try this with kids: Can you sneak close enough to find the corner the chirp is coming from before it goes quiet?
field crickets are the common black outdoor crickets; camel crickets are silent basement crickets with a humped back
Sources
- extension.missouri.eduCrickets make their way indoors for warmth and shelter once temperatures start to drop; September and October are when crickets are most active as the buglers of fall; males make chirping sounds to attract females; field crickets are among the most common house-invading crickets.
- extension.umn.eduCrickets are common outdoors but may accidentally enter homes, especially in late summer and fall; male crickets chirp by rubbing their wings together.
- content.ces.ncsu.eduCamel crickets often invade basements, garages, and crawlspaces, drawn to cool moist areas; unlike most cricket species, camel crickets do not chirp, so an indoor chirper is a field or house cricket instead.
In the guide for September, October