This question comes from a reader who asked “why do I have so many crickets coming into my house this year? I’ve lived here 19 years and don’t ever remember this many crickets.” Let’s see what might be going on.

During the summer months, crickets spend most of the day underground, only coming out at night to feed. As the daylight hours start to get shorter with the arrival of fall, they tend to come out of their underground homes more often in search of a mate.

Crickets also like to congregate. Some areas might not have many crickets while others seem to be overrun. If it seemed like there were more than usual this year, we might have our dry summer to blame. We aren’t exactly sure why that happens, but it’s theorized that dry weather tends to reduce the fungal diseases that can affect cricket eggs and nymphs contributing to a bumper crop of crickets. As temperatures cool down, the crickets start looking for a warmer place which would explain why they are trying to get inside your home. There are a couple of things you can do to help minimize this problem.

First off you can turn off or minimize your outdoor lighting. Crickets are attracted to the lights so turning the lights off will reduce the number of crickets congregating in your area. You can also make sure your house is sealed. Look for openings around windows and doors, and seal those up. Remember, they are attracted to light so when they see the light inside the house, they head that direction. Sealing up any potential entry points will reduce their ability to get in your home.

Also, you can reduce clutter you have in the garage or around your home. With fewer places to hide, you’ll have fewer crickets to deal with in the first place. As mating season winds down, you’ll notice less and less crickets…until next year of course.

Speaking of crickets, there’s species of crickets called mole crickets that can sometimes cause gardeners’ trouble. These crickets are shaped like a cricket for the most part but also have rather large mole-like front legs they use for digging. They also have wings but are clumsy fliers.

You’ll notice a mole cricket burrow since they push up small mounds of dirt. While feeding on the roots of turf and plants can be detrimental to the plants, they’re primary source of damage is their tunneling which can dislodge plants, causing them to dry out and die.

Mole crickets are active above ground in April and May during the mating season and potentially again in September and October.

While their presence of mole crickets does not typically require intervention, if they are doing a lot of damage, you can use a pesticide containing Permethrin. Good luck.

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org