Last summer one or more crickets made their way into my older country home. When I was doing my radio shows on The Ramble discord server listeners at times would hear a cricket serenading us in the background. Sometimes it would have to compete with one of my cats who also thought she should be a guest on the show.
You think with a couple of cats in the house that something like a cricket would not dare to enter. While the cats will look around for the source of the noise, unless it hops into view, it can make its noise with impunity.
Not counting the unwanted visitor in my home, anyone who spends some time outside during a summer evening will have heard the sound of crickets. It really is rather amazing that such a small creature can make such loud noises.
The sounds we hear from crickets come exclusively from the males. Their chirping sounds, depending on the species, can reach up to 100 decibels. To get an idea of how loud that is, a car horn can reach about 110 decibels. A referee’s whistle about 115-125 decibels.
When I realize how loud a cricket can chirp, it does make me chuckle that we’ll often respond to an awkward silence with ‘crickets’. They are anything but silent. We generally don’t hear or notice them unless there is no other sounds.
The males produce the sound by rubbing their leathery front wings together. The wing edges rub across the striations on the wing to create the sounds. Each time the wings rub together, a pulse is produced. The pulse rate is influenced by factors like temperature. They will pulse at a faster rate in warmer weather than in colder. The pulse rate and the pattern will differ between different species of crickets.
To attract females of course. Crickets hear through ears located on their front legs. Females don’t make any sounds but will respond by walking or flying toward the male’s sound. Studies have shown that the variation in sound levels and patterns in the males is competition between them for the female’s attentions.
A male cricket which is able to take the lead on the calls is more attractive to the female than the followers. The females also tend to be more attracted to the older males which will chirp for shorter periods. Older males often inhabit richer food areas. They live longer and produce songs more frequently.
Sounds are also produced to warn off enemies. This is usually when a rival male enters another’s territory.
A parasitoid fly known as the tachinid fly listens for cricket sounds. Once the cricket is located she will lay her eggs on the cricket. Once hatched, the larvae feeds on the cricket killing it in about a week.
Proving once again, love can be dangerous.
Meanwhile, I now know my unwanted house guest is definitely a male. He’s living dangerously in my house.
