Cricket Control
Perimeter treatment for the field cricket swarms that show up around Arizona homes after monsoon rains, drawn in overwhelming numbers by exterior lighting.
How cricket control works
- 1
Inspect entry points and lighting
Door thresholds, garage door seals, and areas near exterior lighting get checked first, since that's where cricket pressure concentrates once populations swell after rain.
- 2
Treat the perimeter
A barrier treatment around the foundation and entry points reduces the number of crickets making it to your doors and windows in the first place.
- 3
Address entry gaps
Gaps under garage doors and around thresholds get identified — small openings that let crickets stream inside during a heavy swarm.
- 4
Advise on lighting
Exterior lighting is often the single biggest driver of cricket swarms at a specific house — we'll flag which fixtures are drawing the most activity.
Pests covered
- Field crickets
Nobody in Arizona needs cricket season explained to them once they’ve lived through one — after a good monsoon rain, field cricket populations can explode into swarms that cover driveways, patios, and entry doors almost overnight. It’s less a structural threat than a sudden, overwhelming nuisance, and it’s tightly tied to two things: rainfall and exterior lighting.
Rain triggers the swarm, lighting decides where it lands
Monsoon rain softens the ground enough for a surge of egg-laying, and the resulting population boom moves toward the nearest light source at night — which is usually a porch light, garage light, or entry fixture. Properties with brighter, whiter exterior lighting tend to see dramatically more activity at their doors than properties using warmer, lower-UV bulbs, even in the same neighborhood.
Crickets bring other pests with them
A heavy cricket swarm doesn’t just mean crickets — it means a temporary food surplus for anything that eats them, particularly spiders and, to a lesser extent, scorpions. Properties dealing with a bad cricket season often see a secondary bump in spider activity a few weeks behind it, which is worth watching for even after the cricket swarm itself dies down.
Check if cricket control is available at your address
Frequently asked questions
Why do I suddenly have hundreds of crickets after it rains?
Field crickets breed explosively after monsoon rains soften the ground for egg-laying, and populations that build up over a few weeks often move toward houses in large numbers, drawn by exterior lighting at night.
Does my outdoor lighting actually attract more crickets?
Significantly, yes. Certain bulb types (especially higher-UV and blue-white light) attract far more flying and jumping insects than warmer, amber-toned LEDs. Switching fixture types near entry doors can meaningfully cut down on swarms landing right where people walk in.
Are crickets actually harmful, or just annoying?
Crickets aren't a structural or health threat the way termites or cockroaches are, but large swarms are a genuine nuisance — the noise, the sheer numbers at entry points, and the fact that they attract predators like spiders and scorpions looking for an easy meal.
How long does cricket season last in the Valley?
TODO(Citizen): confirm your typical service window for cricket swarms (monsoon season, roughly July through September, is when activity peaks) so this answer reflects real seasonal guidance.
Ready to get rid of crickets for good?
Most Citizen customers get rid of crickets for good at $79 a month.
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