Cricket Control for Rugby homes and businesses

Rugby is a small, older residential pocket squeezed between Brooklyn, the Ysterplaat air base and the industry of Paarden Eiland. Homes here sit very close to warehouses and busy roads, so rodents are never far away.

The local picture in Rugby

German cockroaches spread between closely built homes, and American cockroaches use the drains. Ants come in during dry summer spells.

Most houses are modest, older brick homes and semis on small plots, often with backyard rooms or workshops added on. A few streets have small flats and businesses mixed in. Old roofs and outbuildings give rats somewhere to nest, and shared boundary walls let them move from yard to yard. The neighbouring industrial zone has warehouses, yards and food storage that keep rodent numbers high.

Tell-tale signs

1. Large numbers of crickets attracted to outside lights on warm nights.
2. Loud chirping at night that stops as soon as you walk towards it.
3. Patches of grass that brown and die, and lift easily because the roots have been cut.
4. Raised, soft ridges and tunnels in the lawn, especially after watering.
5. Birds and hadedas probing the lawn intensively, which is often a sign of mole crickets or other insects underneath.

A note from the field

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.

How we handle cricket control in Rugby

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.

Keeping them out afterwards

• Water the lawn deeply but less often, as constantly damp soil suits mole crickets.
• Keep the garage and storeroom tidy and dry, since crickets love damp cardboard and clutter.
• Clear leaf litter, mulch, firewood and garden rubbish away from the walls of the house.
• Swap bright white outside lights for yellow or warm-coloured bulbs, which attract fewer insects.
• 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 Rugby

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