Pest profile

Tropical House Cricket

Gryllodes sigillatus · Orthoptera: Gryllidae[2]

Tropical house crickets live in cracks around paved areas and sometimes move indoors, where their songs give them away.[1]

Tropical house cricket, a light yellowish-brown cricket with dark bands across the abdomen, on a pale surface
Tropical house cricket, a light yellowish-brown cricket with dark bands across the abdomen, on a pale surface. Photo: Irene, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist

How to identify it

  • Adults are 13 to 18 mm long, light yellowish brown and somewhat flattened.[1]
  • Male wings cover only half the abdomen and females are nearly wingless; a dark band crosses the head between the eyes.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
House cricketRare long-winged tropical house crickets look like house crickets but have a narrow space between the antennae.[1]

Where it lives

Probably native to southwestern Asia, it has spread by commerce through the tropics and is common in urban areas.[1]

US map: public records from 9 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

There's no overwintering stage; generations are continuous, taking two to three months from egg to adult.[1]

Damage and signs

  • It comes out at night from cracks between pavement blocks to forage and sing.[1]

Health risk

UF/IFAS says tropical house crickets generally do no harm.[1]

Control

Pesticides

If they're a problem indoors, baits sold for cockroach or earwig control can eliminate them.[1]

Common questions

What's chirping inside my house in Florida?
Possibly tropical house crickets, which sometimes move into buildings.[1]
Are tropical house crickets harmful?
Generally no; UF/IFAS says they do no harm.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (Featured Creatures), “Tropical House Cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus (EENY-064).” edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN221 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Gryllodes sigillatus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/154340 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.