Chirping Crickets
House crickets are nocturnal and usually first make themselves evident at dusk when they begin to seek food in the home. They are omnivorous and eat just about anything. You'll find them in your garden eating rotten tomatoes and other debris. They'll even eat other insects, including each other. They can also get into your house and eat paper, clothes, or anything else they feel like eating. They are particularly attracted to liquids, especially beer and sweetened vinegar. When these liquids are placed in open containers, crickets sometimes drown due to their fondness of these liquids.
Only male crickets can chirp and will chirp faster in warm weather than cool.
Crickets are the meteorologists of the insect world. Temperature can accurately be determined through the measurement of the chirps in their songs. To do this, count the number of chirps a cricket makes for 15 seconds. Add 37 to the total number of chirps you counted, and you have a very close approximation of the temperature.
Crickets are related to grasshoppers and katydids. They can be easily identified by antennae as long as their bodies and their large back legs, used for jumping and their famous song.
Since their introduction to the United States and Canada in the 18th century, the house cricket has become a commonplace visitor to homes and bakeries. Growing to almost an inch long, the cricket has three darker bands on the head and thin, long antennae. This insect is fond of warmth and can be found near fireplaces, in the kitchen, and in basements. They hide themselves in cracks and crevices, behind baseboards, and even burrow into the mortar of walls.
In a cold room, crickets are sluggish, acting much like we do when overtired. As the temperature rises, the activity level of crickets increase. Crickets only sing and jump in warm environments.
In warm weather, crickets will abandon houses for the great outdoors, running to such grand places as the city dump. Another favorite haunt is backyard sheds, for those crickets preferring the perfect place to entertain guests. When the cold hand of winter arrives again, crickets abandon their summer homes for houses inhabited by people as our homes are heated.
House crickets are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. They are most commonly seen at dusk when they begin to search for food. As their diet is omnivorous, they are not picky eaters. Bread crumbs, last week's dirty laundry, another cricket or similar insect--all good meals to the cricket. Crickets do have a love of liquids with beer and sweetened vinegar being favorites. Many crickets have drowned due to their insatiable attraction to these tasty liquids.
Crickets do bite when captured. However, their bite doesn't cause a lot of damage. In fact, the damage from the bite of a cricket is minor at best, not even noticed in most cases. It isn't their biting that people find both endearing and annoying--it's their constant chirping.
All stages of the cricket's life cycle can be found in homes with cricket populations. From egg to nymph to adult, the house cricket really does seek to become man's best friend...they simply haven't worked out the manners needed to be allowed to live indefinitely with their chosen humans.
As with many insects, crickets have found their way to the dinner table--or in this case, the dessert tray. If you're feeling brave and ready for new things, try out this recipe for the perfect ending to any insect driven meal.
25 adult crickets
Several squares of semisweet chocolate
Spread your cleaned insects out on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Set your oven 200 degrees and dry insects for approximately 1-2 hours. Bake at 250 degrees until crunchy (the time needed varies from oven to oven).
Heat the squares of semi sweet chocolate in a double boiler until melted.
Dip the dry roasted crickets in the melted chocolate one by one, and then set the chocolate covered crickets out to dry on a piece of wax paper.
