Cricket Control for Pelican Park homes and businesses

Pelican Park is a newer housing area near Zeekoevlei and the Strandfontein coast, with lots of young families. Water nearby means mosquitoes and midges, and new homes on sandy ground bring ants and mice.

Crawling insects around Pelican Park

Ants nest in sandy yards and come indoors in summer. Crickets and spiders move in from open land.

Most homes are newer subsidy and bonded houses, built close together with small yards. Modern construction is fairly tight, but gaps around doors, pipes and roof edges still let in insects and mice. Many homes have added backyard rooms or extensions. Shared open spaces and parks sit between housing blocks.

Pelican Park sits on flat, sandy ground between Zeekoevlei and the False Bay coast, near the Strandfontein bird sanctuary. The South-Easter blows sand and litter in summer, and winter rain can pool in low spots. The vlei and wetlands hold water year-round.

Signs to look for

1. Loud chirping at night that stops as soon as you walk towards it.
2. Crickets sheltering in the garage, under appliances or behind skirting boards.
3. Large numbers of crickets attracted to outside lights on warm nights.
4. Birds and hadedas probing the lawn intensively, which is often a sign of mole crickets or other insects underneath.

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.

From the technician

Crickets sometimes damage stored clothing, curtains and cardboard in damp outbuildings. If you use a garage or storeroom for storage, dry it out and box things in plastic.

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.

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.
• 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.
• Clear leaf litter, mulch, firewood and garden rubbish away from the walls of the house.
• Seal cracks in walls and around window frames, and check that airbricks have intact mesh.

How much will it cost?

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.

Field crickets are loudest and most noticeable in the warm months from late spring through summer. They often move indoors in autumn as the nights cool down and the first rains arrive. Mole cricket damage to lawns shows up most in spring and summer when they are active near the surface.

Cricket Control questions from Pelican Park

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