Our readers keep the lights on and my morning glass full of iced black tea. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.5 Best Insecticide For Crickets | Why Glue Beats Poison

Check Price on Amazon

This concentrate uses a synthetic pyrethroid active ingredient that binds to porous surfaces—concrete, wood, stucco—and stays active for weeks rather than hours. Mixed at 1 ounce per gallon of water, a single 32-ounce bottle produces 176 gallons of ready-to-use spray, enough to treat the foundation perimeter plus ornamental beds around a typical quarter-acre property. Owners report complete cricket cessation within 24 hours of perimeter application, with some users noting the residual effect lasted an entire season when applied monthly.

The product is designed for tank-mixing with insect growth regulators, which makes it versatile if you’re also targeting flea or cockroach eggs during the same treatment cycle. It won’t stain siding or leaf surfaces when properly diluted, and the odor dissipates within an hour of drying. One reviewer who had been bitten 10 times per minute before spraying reported zero mosquito or cricket sightings the following day after treating the house perimeter, deck, and bushes.

Crickets entering from outdoor harborage points—rock walls, wood piles, foundation cracks—are intercepted before they reach interior spaces. The synthetic chemistry works even on resistant cricket populations that have evolved tolerance to weaker pyrethrins. Indoor use is possible in cracks and crevices, but the real strength lies in creating an outdoor barrier that stops the invasion before it starts.

Check Price on Amazon

The JT Eaton 844 uses a non-toxic, attractant-scented adhesive that remains effective even in cold garages and basements where other glue boards stiffen and lose tack. Each trap is sized for large crickets and spiders, with a cotton-poly-jersey backing that prevents glue bleed-through onto floors. The adhesive is formulated to stay non-drying and non-flowing, maintaining holding power indefinitely until you dispose of the trap.

Owners consistently report catching 30 to 55 crickets or spiders within 48 hours during peak infestations. The attractant scent works specifically on field crickets and camel crickets—the two most common home-invading species—without the risk of pesticide fumes around children or pets. One buyer noted that after refreshing traps weekly, they eliminated an entire spider population of 35 individuals in a garage that had previously resisted foggers and sprays.

Placement is critical: position traps flush against baseboards, behind refrigerators, along foundation walls in basements, and near entry points like door thresholds and garage gaps. The traps lie flat and fit under appliances and furniture with minimal clearance. Handle them carefully during placement—the glue is extremely sticky and will adhere to fingers, clothing, or carpet if dropped.

Check Price on Amazon

BugPursuit combines clove oil and cottonseed oil as its active botanical ingredients, making it one of the few sprays certified for direct application on mattresses and pet bedding without causing irritation. The liquid leaves no odor or residue once dry—unlike vinegar-based or citrus-based sprays that can linger. Owners report that it kills carpet beetles, ants, spiders, and crickets on contact, though the knockdown takes roughly 30 minutes rather than instant.

The formula includes glycerin soap as a surfactant, which helps the active oils spread across the cricket’s exoskeleton and penetrate its spiracles for lethal dehydration. Because the clove oil concentration is low (around 0.05 percent), the spray is gentle enough for daily use in kitchens and children’s rooms. Several reviewers noted that consistent reapplication every two weeks was necessary to completely break the cricket life cycle, since the spray doesn’t have residual killing power after drying.

For homeowners who are allergic to synthetic pyrethroids or simply prefer OMRI-adjacent ingredients, BugPursuit provides a middle ground between essential oil sprays (which repel but rarely kill) and harsh chemical concentrates. Shake the bottle thoroughly before each use—the oils separate quickly in the solution—and avoid using it on unfinished wood or porous surfaces where moisture could cause stain rings.

Check Price on Amazon

This spray relies on concentrated peppermint essential oil as the sole active deterrent, which works by overwhelming the cricket’s olfactory receptors and triggering an avoidance response. Unlike pyrethroid sprays, it does not kill on contact—it repels. When applied to baseboards, window frames, and door thresholds, crickets avoid crossing the treated boundary, effectively sealing off entry points without poisoning the environment.

Owner feedback consistently highlights the crisp, clean mint aroma as a major advantage over synthetic insecticides. The formula leaves no visible residue and dries within minutes, making it suitable for kitchen counters, pet feeding areas, and indoor plant soil tops. One user reported a dramatic reduction in crickets around doors and windows after spraying a single pass along the perimeter, noting the bottle lasted for several weeks of daily light applications.

Because peppermint oil evaporates within 24 to 48 hours, this spray works best as a maintenance product for homes with low cricket pressure or as a supplement to glue traps in high-traffic zones. It will not eliminate an established infestation, but it creates an invisible chemical fence that crickets are unwilling to cross. Reapply after cleaning surfaces or after rain if used outdoors.

Check Price on Amazon

The Ever Pest repeller uses high-frequency sound waves above human hearing range to irritate crickets and other pests, driving them away from the area rather than trapping or poisoning them. Each unit plugs directly into a standard wall outlet and covers approximately 800 to 1,200 square feet depending on wall construction and furniture density. The device emits no odor, no residue, and requires zero maintenance beyond periodic dusting.

Buyer reports are mixed, as is typical for ultrasonic technology: some users claim crickets and roaches disappeared within two weeks, while others saw no difference at all. The most positive reviews come from people who used the repeller in conjunction with glue traps or perimeter sprays, suggesting that the ultrasound may work best as a supplementary deterrent for wall cavities where crickets nest and mate. One reviewer who had been hearing scratching inside walls reported complete silence after the first night of use.

For the Ever Pest to be effective against crickets specifically, the device must be placed in the room where crickets are most active, and the sound waves need an unobstructed path—furniture, curtains, and thick walls absorb ultrasound quickly. This unit does not harm pets or humans, and it runs 24/7 for pennies a year in electricity. It will never physically remove crickets already present, but it can discourage new crickets from settling.