How Long Do Crickets Live? The Life Cycle of a Cricket

A cricket’s life cycle starts with the mother cricket laying hundreds of eggs in the spring. Following a 14-day incubation period, a nymph begins to hatch. After shedding its exoskeleton for the 8th time, the nymph finally becomes a grown cricket that is ready to mate.

Cricket Lifespan Cycle

cricket life cycle

How Fast Do Crickets Grow?

After two weeks, the first nymphs start to hatch. The average nymph is only about an eighth of an inch long and possesses no wings. Furthermore, female nymphs haven’t yet developed an ovipositor.

In order to become a fully-grown unit, each nymph needs to shed its exoskeleton approximately eight to ten times. It takes about three months for this process to complete and an additional month for the wings to grow.

How Fast Do Crickets Reproduce?

As soon as a nymph turns into a grown unit, it becomes capable of mating. So it takes only ten to twelve weeks for cricket to go from hatching to producing offspring.

A fully grown cricket is about an inch long and is comprised of a head, thorax, and abdomen, along with three pairs of legs. It spends about two months in this stage of life before ultimately dying.

How Do The Crickets Reproduce?

As spring approaches, the males start to rub their opposing forewings, creating a chirping sound with the intention of attracting females. However, this display also attracts other rivaling males, which turns this boasting process into a fight for dominance.

After fighting his rival off, the male starts looking for any signs of feedback from the female. The female will show interest in a particular male by looking towards the source of the chirping sound. After picking up her cue, the male will modify his chirp, announcing his intention to single out this particular female.

As soon as the mating has been completed, the female dismounts the male and starts searching for the next mate. The male dies following the end of the mating season.

Do Crickets Lay Eggs?

A single cricket female is capable of laying thousands of eggs on a carefully chosen location. It needs to hide the eggs in order to keep them away from males that are looking to devour them.

For the eggs to thrive, the female need to find a location where the temperature averages between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that she sometimes tends to leave her eggs in a house. They will be warm and safe from males indoors.

After a week has passed, the eggs need to be relocated so that the males don’t find them. How many eggs survive the process depends on the mother’s capability to hide them.

How Long Do Crickets Live?

An average cricket live about90 days. Males die almost as soon as the mating season is over, while the females live on until the next generation hatches.

How Long Do Crickets Live Without Food?

Crickets’ diet mainly consists of plants, insects and fruits. Their appetites are unquenchable, making them often resort to eating other crickets. Consequently, this means that, unless in a state of dormancy, crickets can live about a week without food.

Where Do Crickets Go in The Winter?

Grown crickets that have not reproduced in spring spend the entire winter hibernating. This allows them to survive the winter.

Most males have already died in the spring and the females join them after the nymphs have hatched. However, the mole crickets are an exception to this rule, as they survive the winter deep underground.

They prefer this season over any other, and they do not come out of the ground until the winter ends, making their life expectancy around two years.

Do Camel Cricket Die in The Winter?

A camel cricket, like most other cricket species, spends its winters either as a nymph or as a hibernating adult. It detects heat and drought but thrives during the winter.

Comments 10

  1. Rozmerta says:

    Someone essentially help to make seriously articles I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your website page and thus far? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular publish incredible. Magnificent job!

  2. Blanzy says:

    Enjoyed every bit of your post. Was wondering how lond do these creatures live and your article gave me a complete answer.

    Much thanks again. Great.

  3. Danny says:

    I think this is a real great article post. I have a pet cricket, so was wondering how long he will stay with me 🙂

  4. Devin says:

    I have a cricket in my wall and I don’t know what to do about it

    • Vil Malinoshevskij says:

      Hi Devin,
      If you know exactly where cricket is you can make a small hole and take him out of the wall. Another way is to use ultrasonic repeller (this is link to my guide) or you can use a glue trap. Using a glue trap will require a small hole in the wall to place it inside.

      If you don’t want to handle it by yourself you can also hire an exterminator.

      Best regards,
      Vil.

  5. Maximina says:

    This article is one of the best articles I have ever read.
    Congratulations to the author, I distributed the article to my
    friends.

  6. Gary York says:

    i just moved from a home in northern california with wonderful sounds of chirping to a condo developement with NO CRICKETS so…….I went to petsmart and bouught 15 to release in my yard as I love
    their summer chirping which I NEED TO HEAR. Any idea if this will work? They are escape
    artists and seven escaped in the house but three cats led me ri ght to them?

  7. Louis de Geofroy says:

    What I really wanted to know is how long I have to put up with crickets that come in the house in the fall. I’ve seen them hide by the bottom of the door and hop like mad to get in when I open it. They are hard to catch, going silent when you stalk them. I threw one out last night and there is another one in the kitchen this morning. You mention a voracious appetite – if I dust some lettuce with borate will that kill them? I’d rather not use Raid.

  8. M005kennedy says:

    Very good article but it looks like the wrong graphic made it into your article. Your graphic shows grasshoppers not cricket. Other than that a great amount of relevant information in such a short piece.

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