Crickets invade Tulsa homes and businesses

As bugs go crickets don’t seem to be so bad.

Snakes are slimy and dangerous and spiders just downright creepy.

But while crickets seem to be just a nuisance, they can sure get under your skin says Larry Dierker with EMTEC pest control.

“Our commercial customers get lots of cricket problems this time of year.”

Larry told KRMG news that some of the larger customers can come to work every day to a floor covered with a combination of live and dead crickets but there is good news.

According to Baylor University, they're mostly harmless.

Crickets don't bite or carry diseases - they cause other problems.

They damage ornamental and garden plants.

They also chew on clothing, including wool, cotton and silk.

Clothes covered with sweat or food stains are extremely attractive to crickets, according to an article by entomologist Roberta Gibson.

In Tulsa, it seems the little pests have taken over.

But Larry told us that has more to do with the time of year than anything else.

“Crickets always peak this time of year, they’re attracted to the light sources around the buildings.”

So they love the light, but Larry noted there is something else that motivates them.

“They will seek out the temperature that they want, the air coming out from under the door sweeps.”

Yes, crickets are looking for air conditioning.

“They like it about 82 degrees, not that different than us,” Larry smiled as he said.

We at KRMG had heard that when you see a cricket, the last thing you wanted to do was kill it.

It was said that crickets are cannibals, feeding mostly on the bodies of their own dead.

Larry said that is only partly true.

“They do but they also feed on many other bugs,” he began. “The ultraviolet light is what brings all the other bugs in.”

It makes sense that the crickets follow the other bugs looking for a buffet and end up in your house or business.

Larry gave us some simple tips that can help “de-cricket” your space.

“Fixing your door sweeps and keeping things closed up will keep them out of your house.” And at work, “reducing your exterior lighting at night will help diminish them as well.”

Click here to listen as Larry gives his best advice on keeping crickets away.

Before we left EMTEC we asked Larry if there was a bug that seemed to love our Oklahoma oven this summer.

“Termites seemed to thrive on the higher soil temperature and become more active during the hottest part of the summer, we’ve seen that the last two years.”

So button up the house, call the termite guy and turn off all your exterior lights if you want to be relatively free of bugs.

Or, just get used to sharing space with some of the little creatures and wait for the first hard freeze to fix the problem for you.

Either way, the bugs will be gone in a few months but the whole cycle will begin again in the spring.

It seems the best answer is to just not let it bug you.

Sorry.

We had to.