Crickets abundant in Coachella Valley

Carlos Varner, an employee at Truly Nolen Pest Control, says crickets are their No. 1 problem right now. Crickets have been especially prevalent because of the high heat and humidity.

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Today we went on a ride-along with Truly Nolen, as they showed me a home they treated for a cricket infestation. Over 500 crickets were found at the home. They are known to hide under rocks, plants, and in small openings that may trap water.

Debra Schott, an Indian Wells resident, says she first started noticing the crickets about a month ago.

“Shortly after dusk..they would come in from the bathroom, hopping. At first maybe it was two to three [crickets] the first week, then it became like a dozen in an evening. It was like a war and that’s when i decided to call the pest company,” Schott said.

Residents are advised to trim overgrown bushes and shrubbery, as they can create a bedding in which crickets like to nest.

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An interesting aspect, and perhaps a more useful purpose for those noisy crickets: The Old Farmer’s Almanac offers a formula to predict the temperature based on the number of cricket chirps in a given time frame.

To convert cricket chirps to degrees Fahrenheit, count number of chirps in 14 seconds then add 40 to get temperature.

Example: 48 chirps 3 + 4 = 20 C

Poll: have you been seeing more crickets around your home recently?