On quiet summer evenings, especially in the countryside or at a dacha, a soft but persistent chirping can often be heard coming from behind the stove or from a crack in the floor. This is the monotonous nighttime song of the house cricket, a small dark grasshopper that has lived side by side with humans for many centuries.
Its life is inextricably linked to our warmth and shelter. In nature, far from human dwellings, this cricket is rarely found. It came to us from warmer climes and found the ideal microclimate under our roofs: comfort, a constant above-zero temperature, and the absence of many predators. Without humans, it is literally bored and cold.
For this loyalty to their home, crickets were nicknamed “oven musicians.” Their chirping was once considered a symbol of home comfort and prosperity. People believed that crickets brought good luck and protected the home from evil forces. Their song, though lacking in melody, became an integral part of many people's memories of childhood and their family home.
Range, habitat, and living conditions
The house cricket differs from other crickets in that it does not shy away from living alongside humans. Its choice is an artificial habitat.
This allows the insect to live in any climate zone. On one condition: there must be a human present.
House cricket
Domestic crickets originally inhabited East Asia and the Mediterranean. They arrived in Europe in ancient times. They are found in North America and some regions of Australia.
Prefers well-heated rooms:
During the warm season, they try to get outside. They spend several months there (from May to September) and then return to human dwellings.
The house cricket is a territorial insect. This means that once it has settled in a place, no other crickets will live there.
They are active at night. During the day, they try to get as far away from light as possible. But at night, they come out to feed.
Appearance
They are brownish-yellow in color. The insect's head has three characteristic dark “bandages.”
Compared to the field crickets familiar to many, house crickets are slightly smaller. They are 16 to 26 millimeters long. Some insects have long antennae. They are thread-like and, as a rule, exceed the length of their body in size.
Acheta domesticus
Wings are flat. This makes these “baked” creatures look like cockroaches. Their wings are well developed. They are slightly more than 10 mm (maximum 12.3 mm) and allow crickets to fly short distances. Hind limbs crickets have fairly long antennae (which allow them to jump far).
Please note! In addition, the rear part of the “oven dweller” has cerci, one of the creature's sensory organs. They resemble a tail that splits in two.
Male, female, differences
Females can be distinguished from males by their long ovipositor. It resembles a sting or tail. It is 11 to 15 millimeters long. This part of the body is inserted into the soil, after which egg laying occurs. The body of males can be 16 to 22 mm long. The length of the front wings is approximately 10.5 mm on average.
Only males make the “signature” chirping sound of crickets.. This is how they signal their readiness to continue the species.
The house cricket is not just an insect, but a real “oven musician” of the past, who lived close to people, warmed himself by the stove, and created comfort in the hut with his chirping. People considered him a bringer of good luck, believed that he protected the house, and even took offense if the cricket fell silent — it meant that there was discord in the family. Today, you will hardly ever find such neighbors, but once upon a time, their singing was part of everyday life, like the breath of a house, which, like a cricket, was boring and empty without people.
Housing conditions, care
Easy to care for. The main things you need to provide for a house cricket are warmth, low humidity, and good ventilation.
To keep a cricket, you need glass cage. This is a box with a height of at least 40 centimeters. Its space is filled with cardboard spacers (some owners use cardboard egg cartons for this purpose). They are needed to provide hiding places.
In one cage — groups that may include:
- one male and three females;
- three males and up to fifteen females.
House Cricket (Acheta domesticus)
It is not recommended to keep more than three males together. This can lead to constant fighting between the insects.
Equipment
To keep them, you will need:
- a glass aquarium, cage (or 30-liter plastic container);
- incandescent lamps with a power of 25 to 40 watts;
- a container with soil (at least 5 cm thick);
- water source (made from wet cotton wool, synthetic winterizer, sponge, foam rubber, or filter paper).
Temperature
Crickets feel quite comfortable at temperatures not lower than +21 degrees. The higher, the better. For example, they like temperatures from +30 to +35 degrees.
Photo of a cricket
If the house gets cold, they immediately:
- lose their mobility;
- stop eating;
- the growth of their larvae slows down or stops.
Substrate
A container with moist and sufficiently loose soil should always be in the cage. Suitable coconut substrate or calcined soil. This is necessary for females to lay eggs. If the substrate is too dense or too dry, the ovipositor may be damaged.
Acheta domesticus
The substrate is covered from above wire mesh. The width of the cells should be at least 2 mm. This will protect the eggs from being eaten by crickets.
The humidity level in the container must be monitored. If the soil dries out, the entire clutch may die.
Important! The substrate should always be slightly moist.
Lighting
The glass box is illuminated by incandescent lamps 24 hours a day. They help to maintain the required temperature regime — approximately +30 degrees.
Humidity
Recommended at the level of 60-70 percent. Humidity should be low. Otherwise, the house cricket will get sick. The air and soil must be kept dry, and instead of a drinking bowl, use cotton wool moistened with water for the insects to drink. Even in a small saucer, a cricket can drown.
Diet
House crickets prefer plant material.
When placed in “artificial” conditions, they eat:
- human food;
- organic waste;
- small invertebrates found in “their” territory;
- soft cadaverous tissue.
Acheta domesticus
They also love drinks left “open access.” Prone to cannibalism. They can eat young relatives, as well as clutches.
The following are suitable as food for insects in the garden:
- carrots;
- melons (zucchini or pumpkin);
- oat flakes;
- corn flour;
- lettuce leaves;
- any other greens.
Protein is especially important for the inhabitants of the garden. To provide them with food, the following are suitable:
- boiled eggs;
- gammarus;
- chicken meat.
Chopped fruit slices can be a source of water for pets. Peaches or apples are suitable.
Crickets will appreciate it! Some owners specially prepare a “mix” for their pets — carrots, dandelion or arugula leaves, calcium, and vitamins, blended in a mixer.
Reproduction
Domestic crickets are a very prolific species. Several females are “registered” in the territory of one male.
At the same time, male crickets are strictly prohibited from entering the territory.
Reproduction of crickets
The life cycle of insects includes the following stages:
- eggs;
- larvae;
- imago (adult specimen).
Eggs are laid in the summer. Females distribute them in small clusters in soil cracks and damp crevices. During the season, they manage to lay between 40 and 179 eggs. However, there are also record holders. Under favorable conditions (at +28 degrees), the number of eggs per season can reach 725.
The eggs resemble curved bananas in shape. They are light yellow and approximately 2.5 mm long. Egg development takes 11 to 12 days (assuming a temperature of +30 degrees Celsius). The insect remains in the larval stage for about four weeks.
Important! High temperatures in the room are very important for eggs and larvae. At temperatures of 25 degrees, their growth slows down. However, in the end, everything is compensated for by a slightly larger body mass (than crickets that grew at temperatures of 30 degrees).
Diseases and health maintenance
They can suffer from bacterial and viral diseases, which often lead to the death of insects.
At the same time, there are no special means of helping pets yet.
Important! Before placing pets in the enclosure, it must be washed with a mild chlorine-based solution.
To keep the inhabitants of the enclosure healthy, their “home” should be cleaned twice a month. Dead insects and feces are a source of disease for young animals.
— Ekaterina Alekseeva I became acquainted with the world of terrarium keeping as a child.
Interesting facts about crickets
One of the first descriptions of the insect was made by the Greek philosopher Aristotle.
House crickets love wool, silk, and cotton items, as well as synthetics impregnated with human sweat. You can tell that an insect has infested your home not only by the chirping, but also by large holes in clothing (much larger than those made by moths).
House cricket
Insects that have settled in your home can be carriers of various diseases, including salmonella and E. coli.
House Cricket (Acheta domesticus)
Please note! Each male defends his territory: he constantly monitors its boundaries, and when a rival appears, he engages in combat.
In Southeast Asia, in ancient times, people used the combative nature of insects to their advantage, staging actual “cricket fights.”
When encountering another cricket, the insect may shed a limb in order to survive. It then lives without it, becoming more vulnerable to enemies.
There are three different types of cricket chirping: the first is to attract females, the second is to court his “significant other,” and the third is to scare off rivals.
Insects can be purchased individually. A batch from 10 pieces costs on average 50 rubles.
It is not recommended to add crickets purchased at the market to those already living in the carrier. It is better to keep newly purchased crickets separately, as they may be carriers of disease.
Food and water must be available at all times in the “house” where the insects live. Food must be fresh: fruit must be changed every day so that it does not start to rot.
It is a popular food for reptiles, birds, and insectivorous pets.
It seems that we have long forgotten about our little neighbor, replacing its chirping with the sounds of technology. But the house cricket has been with us for centuries, and its song is not just a random noise in the silence. It is the voice of home comfort, a sign that the dwelling is warm and there is something to feed on.
Its attraction to human dwellings speaks volumes. Without our warmth and the cozy corners we create, these insects would have a hard time. They have become part of our daily lives, our quiet and inconspicuous roommates. The cricket is not just comfortable around us — it is, so to speak, bored without us.
So, the next time you hear its melodious “tick-tick-tick” from under the floor or behind the wardrobe, don't be quick to frown. Listen carefully. Perhaps this is the most ancient and modest compliment to your home. It means that it is filled with the very real life that this oven-dwelling musician is accustomed to.
