How and why do crickets sing at night, where does the sound come from?

How do cicadas make sounds?

Cicadas use a special sound membrane that is vibrated by muscles. The resulting metallic sound resonates in special cavities inside the body, reaching great volume. The South American cicada is capable of making a sound similar to the whistle of a steam locomotive.

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House cricket

The house cricket, a type of insect, often gets into the house and lives in secluded corners. They used to live behind the stove, but today they can hide behind furniture or in cracks. According to popular belief, the appearance of this insect in a home indicates a peaceful and calm atmosphere in the family, and is a favorable sign. Moreover, the cricket does no harm. On the contrary, it feeds on other insects: parasites and pests. There is no need to worry about an increase in the number of individuals: a male who has settled in the house will definitely drive other contenders into the territory.

Captivity

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, and herbs.

The singing of crickets is very beautiful and varied. It's worth a trip out of town.

When they chirp

In most cases, you can only hear a cricket chirping at night. That's when the musicians come out of their holes. Although in country fields you can enjoy the trill at any time of the day. During mating games, insects can play music both day and night. Silencing an Orthoptera is very easy. He stops singing as soon as he senses danger. Therefore, at the slightest approach to him, the male hides in a hole.

The simplicity of the grasshopper's acoustic organ prevents them from chirping at night. At this time, dew falls in the grass and the wet organ is not able to emit trills. The sound of the green insect can only be heard during the daytime.

In Japan, little musicians are especially respected. They are bred specifically to be able to listen to melodious ringing at any time.

The grasshopper is an arthropod insect, belongs to the superorder New-winged insects, the order Orthoptera, the suborder Orthoptera, the superfamily grasshoppers (lat. Tettigonioidea

The Russian word “grasshopper” is considered a diminutive of the word “smith”. But, most likely, it has nothing to do with the forge, but comes from the Old Russian “izok”, meaning “June”. Almost 7 thousand known species of grasshoppers live on every continent except Antarctica. Due to such diversity, even an experienced entomologist cannot always determine the species identity of a particular individual.

The complex hearing apparatus, that is, the grasshopper's ears, is located on the shins of the insect's front legs. Thus, we can say that the grasshopper hears with its feet. The oval membranes that are located on both sides of the lower leg act as eardrums. In some species of grasshoppers, the membranes are open, in others they are closed with special caps. The structure of the hearing aid consists of nerve endings, muscles, and sensory cells. The structure also includes 2 branches of the trachea, which approach the eardrums.

Grasshoppers have noticeable sexual dimorphism: females are much larger than males and have a sickle-shaped or straight, arrow-like ovipositor. The lifespan of a grasshopper, including the egg stage, is only one season.

and chestnuts), and some of them are noted as serious agricultural pests. Unlike the same related locusts, which eat farmers' crops, grasshoppers are more beneficial. For example, they help get rid of fields that have taken a fancy to them.

In conditions of autonomous maintenance and lack of nutrients, grasshoppers have even been observed in cannibalism, that is, eating their own kind. A simple experiment showed that if you put several of these insects in a closed jar and leave them without food for a couple of days, the group will eventually suffer losses among their relatives.

It may seem surprising, but if the grasshopper does not receive its “dose” of protein and salts from ordinary food, then it does not disdain to feed on feces and carrion, and also eats its weaker relatives with appetite.

The working rhythm puts a lot of stress on the nervous system. And a person wants to relax, forget about work. It is especially difficult to work in the city in the summer, when vacation will only be in winter.

To keep your nervous system healthy and not lose performance, you just need to go out of town or climb into a remote place in a city park. And as soon as you spend a little time in silence, the music of nature begins to flow - the chirping of grasshoppers.

When they chirp

Coming to the southern regions at the height of summer, you have probably heard the irrepressible chirping of cicadas. Starting in mid-July, the air is filled with the endless chirping of thousands of cicadas coming from all directions.

Entomologist, Candidate of Biological Sciences Dmitry Belov tells the story.

Grasshopper

These are the most common “chirpers”. Grasshoppers live almost throughout the entire territory of Russia, except for the highlands and regions of the Far North. Most species are hunters, patiently waiting for prey to appear. In this respect, the grasshopper is similar to a praying mantis - it also lies in wait for its prey, and then grabs it with its strong front legs and powerful jaws.

Sometimes a grasshopper moves with quiet steps, feeling the road in front of it with its antennae - as soon as it touches another insect, the hunter catches it with a quick swoop. When choosing an object for a snack, he does not disdain anyone, even his relatives. Most often, aphids, hairless caterpillars, young beetles and fillies are found in its jaws.

Why do grasshoppers and crickets chirp? More details

When they chirp

In Japan, little musicians are especially respected. They are bred specifically to be able to listen to melodious ringing at any time.

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.

Reproduction and lifespan

There are usually several females per male. They were all enticed by the serenades. It is interesting to watch their mating dances, after which the female is ready to lay eggs. Depending on where the crickets live, the female lays a certain number of eggs. Mostly there are a very large number of them.

Crickets choose hard-to-reach cracks to store their future offspring. They usually contain 40,000-70,000 eggs. For their normal development, the temperature must be at least 28 degrees.

After 1-2 weeks, larvae begin to emerge from the eggs, which need to go through a maximum of 11 stages in order to become juveniles.

In this form, they already strongly resemble adult crickets, only they differ in their parameters. 6 weeks and several molts during the cricket breeding season are necessary for insects to become sexually mature.

The lifespan of insects depends on their habitat. House crickets live for about 4 months. Tropical insects last 2 months longer. And field crickets can live up to 15 months.

Crickets are orthoptera insects, the family of which includes 8 subfamilies and 2300 species. Males make loud sounds using their elytra.

The most famous species is the house cricket. These insects live with people for many years, so they are considered practically pets. People do not feel the same hostility towards house crickets that they feel towards flies, moths, cockroaches and bedbugs.

Stem cricket (Oecanthus longicaudus).

Crickets are native to North Africa and the Far East. But these insects spread throughout Europe, later they settled in North America, and then came to South Australia.

The cricket is a heat-loving insect that lives at temperatures of at least 20 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is lower, the cricket becomes inactive and stops feeding. Cricket larvae behave the same way; at low temperatures they stop growing and forming.

Description and types

Crickets are close relatives of grasshoppers and belong to the group of long-whiskered orthoptera insects. Their name comes from the Greek word for "singer".

Entomologists distinguish several families and varieties of crickets:

true - a family that is divided into 3 types: house, field and stem Far Eastern;
Ants, also called ant-lovers.

House cricket

The house cricket is an insect whose homeland is considered to be the Far East and North Africa, where they have long lived next to people: in residential and industrial buildings. In the warm months, crickets move closer to nature, and with the onset of cold weather they again return closer to the warmth of human habitation. In the field, they dig holes up to 30 cm deep, and when going hunting or patrolling the territory, they cover it with a tuft of grass.

As can be seen in the photo of a brownie cricket, it is a gray-yellow insect, decorated with variegated and brown spots on the body and three stripes on the ovoid head, the length of an adult is 15-25 mm. The eyes are located on both sides of the head. Long whiskers stick out in front, larger in size than the insect itself, they serve as an organ of touch. The body is covered with a special chitinous shell, which protects from external influences and reduces moisture loss in the body.

House cricket

This type of cricket has wings that help them fly to the right place; when folded, they look like elongated tails. However, these insects cannot truly fly. It has 3 pairs of limbs: the back ones are stronger - designed for jumping, the front 2 pairs - serve as auditory organs.

Only males can make sounds and “sing,” which they successfully use to attract the attention of females and procreate. The sound apparatus of crickets consists of a stridulatory vein, which acts as a bow when friction against the left elytra of the insect.

There are 3 types of sound signals: when searching for females, when courting, and “hostile” sounds to scare away other candidates for the role of suitors.

Interesting!

Many ancient beliefs say that if there is a cricket in a house, it brings good luck and happiness, protects its inhabitants from evil and disease, and “promises” an easy birth to pregnant women. Therefore, it is not customary to get rid of such “vocalists” as unwanted guests. However, not all owners like the arias of insects that interfere with sleep. Therefore, people prefer to get rid of singing crickets that have settled in the apartment.

Unlike domestic insects, having settled in the garden and multiplied in large numbers, crickets can become pests, nibbling vegetables, especially melons.

Field cricket: photo and description

field cricket

Insects of this species are common in Southern and Central Europe, Asia Minor and Western Asia, and North Africa. Habitats are well-lit fields and meadows, pine forests, where they make burrows up to 20 cm deep.

The dimensions of the field cricket are larger compared to other species: females are 17-22 mm, males are slightly larger (up to 26 mm). The body color is shiny black, sometimes brown, decorated with orange spots. The head is rounded with two antennae, and there are 3 ocellia (simple eyes) on the forehead.

Insects are omnivores, but prefer to feed on the leaves and roots of herbaceous plants, and occasionally catch small representatives of the fauna or eat their corpses.

Stem crickets

The Far Eastern or stem species belongs to the family of true crickets, another name is “eastern trumpeter”. Insects have a light green elongated body up to 13 mm long; a black stripe runs along the bottom of the abdomen.

They got their first name because females lay eggs in the stems or petioles of plants, in each clutch there are 2-4 eggs. Larvae emerge from eggs in mid-summer; they are smaller in size compared to adults; wings are present in the form of rudiments. In August-September they turn into adults.

The second of the names indicates where the cricket lives: it lives in the Russian Far East, as well as in China and Japan.

Ant lovers

The smallest in size - ant crickets - reach 3-5 mm, they have no wings, and in appearance they are similar to cockroach nymphs. They are not capable of making any sounds and cannot even hear them.

This family lives in South America, where it was discovered by the Swiss entomologist A. de Saussure at the end of the 19th century. Now this species is also found in Europe. Their place of residence is associated with ant nests: larvae and adults overwinter in the anthill, the development cycle of larvae from eggs lasts 24 months. and consists of 5 stages.

Ant lovers

General information about the structure and size of insects

What if there is a cricket in the house - is this good or bad from the point of view of sanitary standards? It’s bad, because adult individuals not only create irritating noise, but also “ruin” the table, kitchen, bathroom and other rooms. Therefore, the answer to the question of what a cricket eats is simple - crumbs, leftover food, waste, etc. Their bodies are covered with a durable chitinous layer, which provides reliable protection.

It will not be difficult to spot the insect. A cricket that has taken up residence in a house, which we will discuss below on how to get rid of an orthoptera, has a body length of 16-25.8 mm and a head in the form of a flattened egg. Other distinctive features include:

small eyes with a faceted structure - as if bulging;
gnawing mouthparts. If you were wondering whether crickets bite or not, the answer is yes. Cases of human bites are extremely rare. But the insects themselves are extremely aggressive and can put up real fights. They are able to chew solid food;
long antennae that act as an organ of touch. Their length in 87% of cases exceeds the body size;
membranous wings allowing easy movement from place to place. If you don’t know how to get rid of crickets in an apartment, then the simplest way – catching them – will not work. Thanks to its wings and sense of touch, the insect immediately senses danger and reacts instantly. Once you learn how to catch a cricket in the house, you will have to try. After all, domestic Orthoptera can make long and sharp jumps and long journeys;
three pairs of strong and jumping legs. Do not come up with ways to catch a cricket in an apartment, they will not be successful;
the hearing organs are located on the shins of the first pair of legs.

If effective measures are not taken, the insect will not only settle in the house, but will also begin to multiply. It is interesting to know how long outdoor and indoor class crickets live. Years of life - up to 3 months.

Before deciding how to get rid of crickets on your property, find out where they came from. This information will help prevent insects from re-infesting your home in the future. Once you know what crickets eat and in what conditions they feel most comfortable, it will be very easy to answer this exciting question.

As soon as the ambient temperature drops below 18-210C, orthoptera pests lose interest in food and mobility. The deposited larvae stop growing and developing. And since the cricket is an insect that leads an active nocturnal lifestyle, the night temperature that is comfortable for it does not last so long in our latitudes. To survive and raise offspring, he moves to warmth. The domestic cricket feels comfortable at a temperature of 28-350C.

It’s not only warm in apartments and houses, but it’s also easy to find food. Especially if you live in the kitchen. Let us remind you what crickets eat in a person’s house:

flies and cockroaches;
ants and crumbs;
food waste from the trash can;
moth, etc.

Do you want to know how long a cricket lives in the presence of heat and food? Long, over 3 months.

Appearance and features

Photo: What a grasshopper looks like

Grasshoppers are medium to large insects. The length of an adult varies from 1 to 7 centimeters, depending on the species. Like their relatives the katydids and crickets, grasshoppers have chewing mouths, two pairs of wings, one narrow and stiff, the other wide and flexible, and long hind legs for jumping. They differ from these groups in that they have short antennae that do not extend too far back to their bodies.

The femoral region of the upper hind limbs of the grasshopper is significantly enlarged and contains large muscles that make the legs well adapted for jumping. The male may produce a buzzing sound by either rubbing the forewings (Tettigoniidae) or rubbing tooth-like projections on the hind femurs against a raised vein on each closed forewing (Acrididae).

Grasshoppers typically have large eyes and are colored accordingly to blend in with their surroundings, usually a combination of brown, gray or green. Some species of males have bright colors on their wings, which they use to attract females. Several species feed on toxic plants and store the toxins in their bodies for protection. They are brightly colored to warn predators that they taste bad.

Female grasshoppers are larger than males and have sharp points on the end of their abdomens that help them lay eggs underground. The grasshopper's senses contact organs located in various parts of its body, including the antennae and palps on the head, the cerci on the abdomen, and the receptors on the legs. The organs of taste are located in the mouth, and the organs of smell are located on the antennae. The grasshopper hears using a tympanic cavity located either at the base of the abdomen (Acrididae) or at the base of each fore tibia (Tettigoniidae). His vision is carried out in the compound eyes, while changes in light intensity are perceived by the simple eyes.

Why is he doing this?

Of course, nature tried for a reason.
The complex structure of the elytra is given to crickets in order to simplify one of the most important purposes of the existence of individuals - leaving behind offspring. Therefore, males sing only during the mating season. Why do crickets chirp? Musical abilities are given to them for communication with each other and for solving three problems at once:

The most important purpose of singing is to invite females to take part in procreation. The mating song of a cricket is the most ear-pleasing “work” in the insect’s repertoire. It sounds unobtrusive, but at the same time very melodic. The male either makes ringing sounds or begins to crackle or buzz. It is not limited to singing alone: the trill is accompanied by a mating dance, in which even the mustache is involved. Several females may live on the territory of a male or in the neighborhood, and with his melodies he tries to keep them around him.
Marking the boundaries of your site. Crickets are characterized by solitary living, and each male has his own territory, in which he can allow several females to live. To make it clear to strangers that the area is occupied by it, the cricket emits shrill signals warning possible rivals.
If a skirmish could not be avoided, then the male tries to influence the enemy with sharp but loud sounds. Crickets are very aggressive. If two individuals get into a fight, then there is a high probability of the death of one of them. In this case, the winner can eat the loser. In the best case, the fight ends with the loss of antennae, legs or wings. In such a fight, the chirping is a kind of battle cry, designed to suppress the opponent and frighten him.

Only sexually mature individuals are capable of making sounds. Young males learn to do this by imitating their adult neighbors.

Where can you listen to cricket?

To get acquainted with the singing of crickets, just go out of town in the summer. These common insects are found almost everywhere. Their mating season begins with the onset of warm weather, and at this time ringing trills and threatening chirping are heard in the air. Crickets sing almost all day long. True, it is very difficult to get closer to the insect: it is very shy, and when a person approaches, it hides in its hole, from which it does not move far.