Crickets are familiar insects, often recognized by their distinctive nighttime chirps, and they are found in diverse environments worldwide. These creatures are primarily omnivores, meaning their diet is varied and includes both plant and animal matter. Understanding their diet provides insight into their ecological role and how they can impact gardens and agricultural areas.
Common Plant Foods
Crickets consume a wide array of plant materials, making them significant feeders in many ecosystems. They feed on various parts of plants, including:
Leaves
Stems
Flowers
Seeds
Fruits
Common examples of plants they eat include grasses, dandelions, and clover. Garden vegetables like lettuce, carrots, corn, and cabbage are also common targets. Crickets can damage young shoots and seedlings, especially in warmer months. Their strong mandibles allow them to chew through plant fibers, impacting foliage, roots, and tubers. Certain species, like mole crickets, specifically target plant roots by tunneling underground.
Beyond Plants: Other Dietary Items
While plants constitute a significant portion of a cricket’s diet, their omnivorous nature means they also consume a variety of other organic materials. Crickets are opportunistic scavengers, feeding on decaying organic matter such as dead insects, fallen fruits, and decomposing plant material. This scavenging behavior contributes to the decomposition process and nutrient recycling in their habitats.
Their diet can extend to fungi and algae, found on plant surfaces or in damp environments, which provide additional nutrients. Crickets are known to consume other small insects, including aphids, insect eggs, and larvae, particularly when plant-based food is scarce. They may even resort to eating smaller crickets or their own species, especially in situations of limited food resources. In household settings, they can also consume food scraps, pet food, and even natural fibers like wool, silk, and cotton.
Why Plants are Essential for Crickets
Plants provide crickets with essential nutrients for growth, development, and reproduction. They are a primary source of carbohydrates, supplying the energy crickets need for their active lifestyles. Plants also offer hydration through their water content. Crickets derive various vitamins and minerals from plant matter, supporting their overall health and physiological functions.
Their digestive system is adapted to process plant material. Mechanical breakdown occurs through their mandibles and a muscular grinding organ. While crickets can digest cellulose, some plant material may require microbial fermentation for complete breakdown.
Protecting Your Plants from Crickets
Protecting garden plants from crickets involves a combination of environmental management and physical deterrents. Maintaining a clean garden by removing debris, tall grasses, and weeds near planting areas can reduce hiding spots and discourage cricket populations. Crickets are attracted to moist environments, so eliminating standing water and ensuring proper drainage can make your garden less appealing to them.
Encouraging natural predators can help control cricket numbers. Birds, lizards, frogs, toads, spiders, and praying mantises are known to prey on crickets. Using physical barriers like fine mesh netting or lightweight row covers can effectively prevent crickets from reaching tender plants and seedlings. Some plants, such as marigolds, garlic, and certain legumes like peas and beans, are thought to deter crickets, or can be used as “trap crops” to draw them away from more valued plants. Reducing bright outdoor lights at night can also make your property less attractive to these nocturnal insects.