Are you tired of hearing crickets singing and chirping all night around your house? Maybe you need to catch some crickets to feed your pet snake or to use them as fishing lures. There are a lot of reasons to catch them and almost as many ways to catch them. If you want to catch crickets by the dozen in no time, read on.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: With the Newspaper
Step 1. Mix the granulated sugar and pure breadcrumbs together in equal measure
This is cricket food! If you want to take a few dozen, a cup of sugar and a cup of breadcrumbs should be enough.
- Do not use spiced or flavored breadcrumbs. Pure is best for catching crickets, and extra ingredients may dissuade them.
- You can mix a large amount of sugar and breadcrumbs and save what's left for later use. This way you can catch multiple crickets on multiple occasions.
Step 2. Sprinkle this compound on the ground where you see the crickets gathering
Use this mixture outdoors, since it could attract other parasites in the house, such as cockroaches and mice. Distribute it at sunset, just before the night crickets go outside.
Step 3. Cover the dough with a single sheet of newspaper
Spread it over the area where you spread the sugar and breadcrumbs. Do not use more than a single sheet, since the crickets must be able to go under it.
Step 4. Choose a large jar with a lid
Get a large glass jar or plastic container with an airtight lid. Drill holes in the lid if you want to leave the crickets alive once they are caught.
- There are special containers you can use to keep crickets alive. Go to a bait shop to find various solutions or order one online.
- You can put some sugar and breadcrumbs mixture in the jar to feed the crickets.
Step 5. Return in the morning before the dew dries
This is the perfect time to catch crickets. Their bellies are full and they are quietly waiting for you under the newspaper layer. If you wait for the dew to dry, the crickets go away.
Step 6. Lift the newspaper and sweep the crickets into the container
You can use a scoop or small brush to push them into the container. Once you've caught the crickets, put the airtight lid on the jar.
Method 2 of 5: With a bottle of soda
Step 1. Cut off the top of a 2 liter soda bottle
Use a sharp knife to cut the circumference of the bottle. Hold it firmly with one hand so that the knife doesn't slip.
Step 2. Turn the top over and place it inside the bottle
The neck must face the bottom of the bottle and you have to remove the cap. Use masking tape to seal the top edge of the bottle.
Step 3. Sprinkle some sugar on the bottom of the bottle through the neck
Create a thin layer that covers the entire bottom.
Step 4. Lay the bottle down in an area where you saw the crickets
You can use this method both inside and outside the house. The crickets will enter through the neck of the bottle to reach the sugar, and a surprising number of them will no longer be able to find the exit.
Step 5. Return early in the morning to collect the crickets
Move them to a sealed container to store them for later use.
Method 3 of 5: With Masking Tape
Step 1. Put a strip of duct tape with the sticky side up in the area where you saw the crickets
The most common areas are the floor along the baseboards or on room sills where you suspect crickets are hiding. This method is more suitable at home, since the adhesive tape placed on the outside collects dirt, leaves and other insects.
Step 2. Check back the next day
The crickets will have been caught by sticking together and it will be easier for you to pick them up and get rid of them. A more expensive option may be to use adhesive traps made specifically for catching cockroaches.
Method 4 of 5: With a Cardboard Tube
Step 1. Put a small amount of food in a cardboard tube
Use that from kitchen paper or toilet paper. The longer the pipe, the more crickets you can catch.
Step 2. Put the hose in the areas where you think the crickets might be hiding
This method is effective along baseboards and on window sills.
Step 3. Come back early the next day to collect the crickets
Put them in a sealed container with holes in the top for storage.
Method 5 of 5: With a Loaf of Bread
Step 1. Cut a piece of bread in half lengthwise
Already sliced bread will not work for this method, you will need a whole loaf of bread.
Step 2. Hollow out the bread on the 2 sides
Use a spoon to make a hole on both sides of the bread. Then put the central crumb in a bowl.
Step 3. Mix some stale bread with equal parts granulated sugar
Step 4. Put the mixture in one of the two hollowed halves
Fill the loaf as much as possible.
Step 5. Reassemble it by securing it with rubber bands or toothpicks
You can also wrap the whole bread in duct tape or cling film.
Step 6. Cut the ends of the bread
This way the hollowed section is in view and the crickets can enter.
Step 7. Place the bread in the cricket area
The next morning you should find yourself a loaf full of crickets.
Advice
- Crickets' favorite places to nest are wooden posts, building bases, compost heaps, interior walls, and almost any place where there is water.
- Crickets hibernate, otherwise they would die when it gets too cold.
- To encourage the crickets to come out, you can spray a fine mist with the garden hose on the stones or concrete of the foundation of your home. Crickets are attracted to the water and go out to drink. This method of trapping also works well in a rock garden.
