Extension
Date of this Version
1980
Abstract
Crickets: identification, damage, and control.
Crickets belong to the order Orthoptera, most members of which have enlarged hind legs, adapted for jumping. In addition, members of this group possess opaque, leather-like forewings that cover a pair of clear, membranous hindwings. Most crickets are nocturnal, whereas their grasshopper cousins are active only during the daytime. Members of the cricket family usually have very long antennae and their wings have the front margin folded sharply over the side of the body, giving them a "boxlike" appearance. Female crickets are characterized by having long, spear-shaped ovipositers, used for egg-laying.
Crickets are sometimes confused with cockroaches, especially the Oriental cockroach, often referred to as the "water bug." Crickets may be distinguished from cockroaches by their enlarged hind legs and the fact that their bodies are not flattened from top to bottom like those of cockroaches.
Comments
© 1980, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska on behalf of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension. All rights reserved.