Crickets appeared on Earth 300 million years ago. Their “song” can be heard while walking in the park, on a summer meadow or forest edge. Often the sounds of an invisible violin can be heard at home. A musician dressed in a tailcoat can easily be found in the warmest place in the apartment, for example, behind the radiator.
Sometimes you can see the nickname of the cricket “house grasshopper”, but this is not true. These insects have much in common, but they also have many differences.
Description and appearance
Almost all residents of our country know what a cricket looks like, since these insects are ubiquitous. The cricket is a representative of a large family of Coleoptera insects. They have a durable chitinous cover and are medium or large in size. The wings are straight, the elytra are short.
The cricket and grasshopper are close relatives, but they look different. The grasshopper's body is elongated, the color is like that of the grass (green, brown) among which it lives. The differences in the structure of the cricket's body are that it is shorter and thicker, and ends with rudimentary processes in the form of a forked tail - the cerci.
Appearance
You can answer how else a cricket differs from a grasshopper by listening to the sounds they make. The stridulating sounds that a cricket makes are more melodic than the sound of a grasshopper.
On the right elytra of the candles there is a “bow” – a chirping cord. On the left there is a membrane with teeth. When folded, the left wing is always covered by the right. Only sexually mature males are capable of making sounds.
The cricket rubs its elytra, moves and spreads them - the famous serenade is obtained. It serves for:
- attracting the female's attention;
- courtship;
- scaring away other males.
The cricket has 3 pairs of limbs. The hind ones are very developed, with their help the cricket jumps up to 60 cm in length. Crickets living in human houses do not strive to go out into the light, preferring to be nocturnal.
Interesting fact! The “ears” of the cricket have the form of membranes (tympanic organ) and are located on the shins of the forelimbs.
House cricket
In the East, insects that produce beautiful melodies, such as the cricket and the cicada, were kept in special cages in homes, just like songbirds. And today, some exotic animal lovers keep crickets to enjoy their sounds.
To do this, use an aquarium, terrarium or special insectarium. Insects need systematic care
It is especially important to change the soil every 3 days, otherwise the unusual pet may die. Although crickets are predators in their natural habitat, when kept at home they are also fed plant foods: vegetables, fruits, herbs
The singing of crickets is very beautiful and varied. It's worth a trip out of town.
Do you know? That crickets, like many living organisms, are able to perceive environmental sounds.
But, unlike the usual hearing organs that mammals have - ears, the cricket does not have them. How do these insects pick up sound vibrations? These chirping inhabitants have tympanic organs. They are the hearing organs of crickets. Their location is very different from what we are used to. They are not located on the head at all, but on the front legs and the end of the abdomen and resemble the eardrum in our ear. It is capable of transmitting vibration of air or water, but, unlike the drum, it helps to perceive not only sound vibrations, but also all vibrations occurring in the environment. A person has a limited perception of the sounds made by insects, but each of us has heard the chirping of a cricket. He cannot make vocal sounds, but he can rub some parts of his body against others, the cricket's elytra participate in this process, and the well-known chirping vibrations are formed. This process is scientifically called stridulation. Crickets often use this mechanism within their species, for example, males invite females on a date this way. And this was proven by an interesting experiment, when the male began to chirp into the microphone of the phone, the female, hearing him, at the other end of the line, hurried to the phone. She heard him.
COMBINE USEFUL WITH PLEASANT!
Target
Demonstrate how crickets make sounds.
Materials
- Clear adhesive tape
- Cardboard card
- Nail file or sandpaper
Progress
- Use clear tape to secure one of the long sides of the card to the table.
- Holding the other long side of the card by the corner, lift it about 5 cm above the table.
- Slowly move the nail file back and forth along the raised edge of the card. Listen to the sound.
- Repeat step “3” only move the nail file quickly.
results
The result is sound. The faster you move the nail file, the higher the pitch of the sound.
Why?
The sound is produced when an uneven surface rubs against a sharp edge of something. In a male cricket, the uneven surface of one wing rubs against the sharp edge of the other wing. As with a nail file, the faster the wings move, the higher the frequency of the sound produced.
MORE FUN FACTS ABOUT CRICKETS!
It turns out that ambient temperature affects the speed at which these creaking creatures chirp. The hotter it is outside, the more intensely they will chirp. They are like thermometers that help determine the weather. This feature was noticed by physicists back in the 19th century. They tried to identify the relationship between the number of chirping sounds and the ambient temperature. Formulas were developed that helped calculate the relationship between these indicators.
You can try this too. To do this, you can visit a forest or park where you can clearly hear the chirping of crickets.
Now divide the resulting number by 3, and then add another 4. You should get the air temperature at a given time. Try to compare with official information.
But it is worth remembering that such a determination of temperature is only possible at ambient temperatures exceeding 13 ° C. If it's cooler outside, the crickets simply won't sing. This temperature is uncomfortable for them, so they hide.
Types of crickets
The true cricket family includes more than 2,300 species. These insects are predominantly distributed in hot countries. About 50 species live in mid-latitudes, including Russia.
House cricket
House crickets Acheta domesticus are yellowish insects with brown streaks on the body and 3 stripes on the head. The species is synanthropic, that is, it is inseparably linked with man and his home. They initially spread in North Africa and the Far East; now they live on the Eurasian continent and in both Americas.
Interesting fact! In Australia, house crickets live only in Adelaide, where they were apparently brought by colonists.
During the warm season, house crickets settle near homes and move into the house with the onset of cold weather. They prefer industrial facilities with large heating devices, heating plants, boiler rooms in enterprises, etc. In the natural environment, they dig holes 15 cm deep.
House crickets have well-developed wings. Body length 1.5-2.5 cm.
Field cricket
The field cricket Gryllus campestris has the largest body size compared to other species. The species lives on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Crickets prefer forests and meadows with high light levels. Colors brown, black. The head is in the shape of a ball, on the forehead there are antennae - organs of touch. They have 3 primitive eyes, ocelli, on the front of the head.
field cricket
They dig holes up to 20 cm deep and up to 2 cm in diameter. Omnivorous.
Stem crickets
Common stem crickets Oecanthus pellucens live in the steppe territories of Eurasia (including Russia), Kazakhstan, and China. The body is elongated, about 1.5 cm long. The color is light green, with a dark stripe on the abdomen. Long thin antennae on the head, translucent elytra.
The cricket species is herbivorous. The female's ovipositor is adapted for cutting stems. She lays several eggs in the shoots, causing damage and death of plants. The egg overwinters and the nymphs emerge in July. Adult insects are found in nature at the end of the warm season - in August-September. Then the cycle repeats.
Ant lovers
Ant crickets Myrmecophilidae do not belong to the family of true crickets; they are classified in the family of myrmecophilous orthopteran insects. The name means that the life of these insects is connected with ants and their habitats. They settle in ant nests, where they become parasites.
The size of the crickets is no more than 5 mm, the color is brown, the body is smooth. The insects externally resemble a nymph (larva that has not reached sexual maturity) of a cockroach. The long thin antennae on the head also add to the similarity. The hind limbs are thickened.
Ant lovers
Interesting fact! Ant-eaters reproduce by parthenogenesis - a method of reproduction without fertilization, when the fusion of female and male germ cells does not occur.
The eggs overwinter in anthills. Ant crickets live up to 2 years. Distributed in Western and Eastern Europe. They do not have a stridulation apparatus and do not make sounds.
Features of cricket
The main feature of this insect is its ability to chirp. Only males who use their vocal abilities in the interests of procreation are capable of this.
The familiar sound of a cricket is a kind of “serenade” for the female
First, the cricket lures the female, indicating its readiness to mate. Then he sings serenades to her, this is the period of courtship. Well, with the third type of signal, male crickets drive away competitors.
The sound is produced by rubbing the teeth of one elytra against the chirping cord of the other. The elytra rise and by their trembling form sharp vibrating movements, which are the source of sound.
Listen to the cricket's voice
Externally, crickets are similar to grasshoppers, but larger. The largest species living in our country is the field cricket, 2-2.6 cm in size, black with orange spots on the elytra and orange thighs.
The entire body of the insect is covered with a chitinous shell, which protects it from damage and reduces moisture loss. There are domestic, field and tree crickets, which differ in appearance. But everyone's songs are equally good.
Habitat and lifestyle
House crickets live where there is human habitation. They prefer places with high humidity and natural shelters. The life of a cricket directly depends on temperature:
- at +30 ℃ they are active, hunt, chirp, and are capable of reproduction;
- below +20 ℃ vital processes slow down, mobility decreases;
- Around 0℃, crickets hibernate.
The male protects his territory from encroachments, engaging in fierce battles with rivals.
Interesting fact! In a fight with an enemy, a cricket often loses its elytra (one or both). Having lost the ability to make sounds and attract a female, the male loses the ability to reproduce.
Behavior, nutrition and reproduction of crickets
When singing, males raise their front, hard pair of wings, called elytra, and rub them together, resulting in a chirping sound. The cricket's wings themselves are well developed, so it can fly, but they use this ability in rare cases. With the help of their "singing" males attract females and warn other males not to approach the pair.
Females lay eggs directly in the soil in summer. The higher the air temperature, the more eggs the female lays. The clutches are small piles. The total number of eggs laid is 50-200, and in hot regions the clutch may consist of 500-600 eggs. As a rule, eggs develop in 20-30 days, but this process is directly affected by temperature conditions.
In the process of formation of these insects, there is no pupal stage, that is, larvae are immediately formed from the eggs, outwardly similar to adult individuals. The difference is the lack of wings and size. The larvae molt several times and after 1.5 months take on the appearance of an adult insect.
The lifespan of an adult cricket is extremely short - only 1.5 months. The life cycle is 90-120 days. But crickets that live in the tropics live about 6-7 months. The lifespan of field crickets is 14-15 months, but this includes hibernation.
In modern times, crickets do not live behind stoves, since there are no stoves in houses. These insects settle in heating mains, heated basements and boiler rooms for the winter. Crickets love to live on livestock farms, where it is always warm and there is plenty of food.
Surprisingly, an ordinary cricket can also be among your pets. The types and lifestyle of these insects, as well as nutrition, reproduction, maintenance and interesting facts can be found in this article.
Reproduction and lifespan
How long a cricket lives depends mainly on its species.
- Brownies live no more than 3 months.
- Field ones can live up to 1.5 years (subject to successful wintering).
- The inhabitants of the tropics exist for about six months.
Crickets need high temperatures to reproduce. The female is capable of laying 150-500 eggs per season, which are light, almost white in color and elongated in shape, reminiscent of a banana. The female pierces the soil with her ovipositor and lays a clutch of one or several eggs. House crickets hide their eggs in secluded places.
Interesting fact! In the habitat of one cavalier cricket, several females live, whom it fertilizes.
After 2-8 weeks (depending on the ambient temperature), nymphs—insect larvae—emerge from the eggs. They are similar to adult insects (imago), only smaller in size, wings are not formed. After several molts (10 on average), the insect reaches maturity and the ability to reproduce.
Interesting fact! Insects of both sexes have an ovipositor, only in the female it is somewhat longer and has a pointed shape.
Insects in a house or apartment: types and their general description
Crickets are classified as orthopteran insects and are often confused with grasshoppers. The reason for the confusion is the crackling sound that both species of Orthoptera make, the body shape and similar external characteristics.
There are several species of real crickets, but not all of them are able to live next to a person in his house. The following types of crickets from the order Orthoptera can live in your apartment or cottage:
- Street or field cricket. It is this insect that loves to visit human territories. He feels warm and safe next to him. There are many of them in the North Caucasus. They are considered frequent guests in houses in the Moscow region. They mainly live in forest-steppe and steppe zones. But still, this large insect does not settle in an artificial environment, but only visits it, preferring a mink dug on its own;
- House cricket. The insect loves to live in apartments of multi-storey residential buildings and cottages. He is less timid, so he easily changes his habitat to a “human” one. Due to the ability to live next to a person, it is extremely difficult to define clear boundaries of his habitat.
Both types of insects will not be noticeable on human territory during the daytime. Their time is late evening and early morning. At this time, they go out into open areas without fear and sing their songs. A cricket that has taken up residence in a house has a massive body for its size, ending in two strong and flexible threads. The body is covered with small elytra that protect the wings, which fold along the body. The latter protrude strongly from under the elytra. When considering the question of what crickets look like, one cannot help but touch upon the topic of insect color. Field specimens are dark brown or coffee brown in color. There are individuals of a straw-fawn or yellow-grayish hue. But the house cricket has a darker color, almost black.
Natural enemies
There are few enemies that eat crickets in the wild. They serve as food for birds, lizards, frogs, and some spiders.
Recently, scientists have found that insects are endangered by the spread of a parasitic organism in their populations - microsporidia Nosemagrylli.
Natural enemy
Often, the enemy of crickets is a person who wants to get rid of uninvited musicians.
How crickets sing
Cricket.
The so-called “singing” of crickets is actually a sonic way of communicating with the opposite sex. Males that have reached sexual maturity are able to make special loud sounds to attract females. They do this thanks to the friction of the elytra.
For this purpose, on one of the crickets’ elytra there is a chirping cord, and on the other there are special teeth. When these organs interact, insects reproduce sounds familiar to humans.
Crickets can also use their “songs” to scare off other male competitors.
Are they useful or harmful?
Crickets are often used:
- as bait for fishing;
- as food for exotic spiders or reptiles kept in captivity.
Insects are quite easy to breed. It is necessary to maintain a fairly high (about +30℃) temperature, add additional lighting to the insectarium and add plant and protein foods to the diet.
In Asian countries, crickets are traditionally used as food, usually fried or dried, as these creatures are rich in complete protein.
In Japan, some species of crickets are kept in small cages as pets. The owners enjoy listening to their singing.
Cricket fights have been held in China for thousands of years. Since betting on money is prohibited, the fights are held illegally.
Interesting fact! In some American states, cricket snacks are sold that resemble chips - with flavors like onion, dill, etc.
Stem crickets (whiskers), when present in large numbers, can cause damage to vineyards and tobacco plantations.
Nutrition
They are not picky when it comes to food. It is enough for them in the summer. All plant foods are used, from grass to plant roots. In winter, in secluded home dwellings, they also do not remain hungry.
Even if they go on a hunger strike, crickets do not disdain laying eggs of similar insects or dead relatives, which once again emphasizes their penchant for cannibalism.
Crickets, specially bred as an ornamental house insect, eat whatever is given to them - fruits, vegetables, food for other animals, bread crumbs, baby food and table scraps.
Insects need protein food, which is found in fishmeal and egg whites. Overeating insects is strictly contraindicated. This causes their chitin coating to deteriorate and causes problems with molting.
It is better to grate all vegetables and fruits. A prerequisite for crickets is the presence of water. It is not necessary to pour it into the drinking bowl, just moisten the sponge well with it.
Why are crickets dangerous?
Cricket.
Despite the melodious “singing” of crickets, they are not as harmless as they seem. If a lot of these insects have settled in a summer cottage, they can pose a serious threat to the future harvest.
In comfortable conditions, the number of crickets can increase quite quickly and for food they will most likely prefer juicy, young seedlings in the garden beds instead of weeds. Do not forget that with the onset of autumn, insects will move into the house, and such a pleasant evening “singing” for the ears can turn into a nightmare that does not allow you to fall asleep.
It is necessary to control the cricket population, especially when they have inhabited the entire area and are a threat. There are 9 real ways to get rid of it.
What do crickets eat?
These insects are practically omnivorous and adapt well to environmental conditions.
Their diet in the wild may consist of:
- herbs;
- green leaves;
- young shoots;
- small insects;
- corpses of other animals;
- oviposition and insect larvae.
He can enjoy eating at home:
- bread crumbs;
- droplets of drinks or liquid dishes;
- leftover fruits and vegetables;
- fish and meat waste;
- flies or any other small invertebrates found in the house.
It is worth noting that, just like grasshoppers, crickets, if necessary, can undoubtedly feast on their fellow creatures or destroy the egg-laying eggs of their own species.
