Cracking the Code on Cricket Chirps
As the temperature begins to drop in the Mid-Atlantic, you have probably noticed the plentiful sound of crickets making a ruckus right outside your home, or even worse, right inside your home. Yet, did you know that their chirping serves a purpose (besides annoying you)?
Come join us in our latest blog, as we explain why those pesky crickets make the sound that they do!
Before we get to why the critter makes that noise, let’s talk about how they make their chirps. As nature would have it, male crickets use their abrasive wings to rub up against the other wing to make a chirp (female crickets are silent). However, the rate in which they rub their wings is contingent upon the temperature, and if you’re good at math, you can get a rough estimate of the temperature by just listening to the number of chirps coming from outside. To get the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, take the number of chirps that you hear in 15 seconds, and add 37 to it. Believe it or not, that formula will render you a close approximation of the outside temperature, but keep in mind that some species have a different chirping pattern and can throw the final number off by a few digits.
Indeed, it may be difficult to notice that each chirp is slightly different from all the others. Since the chirps are created by male crickets looking for a mate, they will adjust the pitch and frequency of their chirps to make themselves stand out in the crowd. Not only that, but with some species, they will change the length of their chirps, which is why the aforementioned trick to find out the temperature is only an approximation. Crickets can also use its chirp to ward off other crickets that may enter its territory, say another male looking for a mate.
You’ll start to notice some chirping during November (especially on warmer days) but it will soon subside as we get into December because the temperature starts to fall and crickets will instead be looking for a place to stay warm. However, be wary about crickets trying to get into your home during that time, as you home makes for the perfect spot for crickets to wait out the cold. Should you hear the sound of one late at night coming from your basement or another, room, either try your best to move it outside, or give us a call in the morning. One call is all you need to make sure that you can sleep peacefully at night—all without the constant chirping of a cricket inside your home.
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