Cricket Control for Panorama homes and businesses

Panorama is a hillside suburb with big homes, sloping gardens and views across to Table Mountain. The homes are mostly well kept, so problems here tend to be about access points: roof gaps, solar panels and garden edges.

The local picture in Panorama

Ants invade kitchens in hot weather, and fishmoths hide in cupboards. Scorpions and spiders turn up near rockeries and retaining walls.

Most homes are large freestanding houses built from the seventies onward, many with double storeys, tiled roofs and big garages. Solar panels and roof additions create gaps that pigeons and rats use. Retaining walls and terraced gardens provide hiding places for rodents and insects. Some homes border open land on the hills.

Something most people miss

Mole crickets are often blamed on lawn grubs or dry patches, and people keep watering a lawn that is actually being cut from below. The soap water test is a cheap way to find out.

When a technician deals with a cricket complaint, the first thing they check is the outside lighting and the garage door seal. Fixing those two things often makes more difference than the treatment itself.

How to tell you have a problem

1. Patches of grass that brown and die, and lift easily because the roots have been cut.
2. Small chewed holes in clothing, curtains or paper stored in damp places.
3. Raised, soft ridges and tunnels in the lawn, especially after watering.
4. Crickets sheltering in the garage, under appliances or behind skirting boards.
5. Loud chirping at night that stops as soon as you walk towards it.

Crickets do not bite people or spread disease in any meaningful way. Indoors, the main issues are lost sleep, droppings and small amounts of damage to fabrics, carpets and stored paper. Mole crickets are a bigger problem for property, because their tunnels cut grass roots and can damage lawns, sports fields and seedlings badly. Large numbers of crickets attracted to lights also draw in spiders and geckos, and sometimes scorpions.

What happens when we come out

Indoors, we focus on finding where the crickets are coming in and hiding, then apply a residual treatment to entry points, door thresholds, garage edges and other hiding spots. Granular baits can be used around the perimeter of the house to reduce numbers before they reach the walls. For mole crickets, the lawn is treated with a targeted product and watered in so it reaches the tunnels, and timing matters because young mole crickets near the surface are easier to control. We use the least-toxic effective option and avoid spraying open living areas.

Want the full step-by-step? See how our cricket control service works.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Water the lawn deeply but less often, as constantly damp soil suits mole crickets.
• Seal cracks in walls and around window frames, and check that airbricks have intact mesh.
• Fit brush strips under exterior doors and garage doors so crickets cannot walk straight in.
• Swap bright white outside lights for yellow or warm-coloured bulbs, which attract fewer insects.
• Keep the garage and storeroom tidy and dry, since crickets love damp cardboard and clutter.

What affects the price

The cost depends on whether it is an indoor nuisance, a lawn problem or both, and on the size of the property and garden. A large lawn with widespread mole cricket damage takes more product and time than a perimeter treatment for a house. Follow-up treatments, if needed to catch a second generation, are included in a free quote upfront.

One cricket behind the fridge is a job for a torch and a glass, not a pest control company. If crickets keep coming in night after night, or your lawn is lifting with tunnels, a professional perimeter or lawn treatment will save you a lot of frustration. Buying lawn insecticide and guessing the timing often wastes money.

Questions we get asked in Panorama

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