What Is The Difference Between Grasshoppers and Crickets – One of the more common insect questions people ask is, what is the difference between Grasshoppers and Crickets? It is an understandable question to ask. To someone who is not an entomologist (someone who studies bug life) it may be difficult to identify which insect has taken over your backyard. Lets take a deep dive into some of the key differences between these two insects.
Appearance
Grasshoppers are a little bigger than crickets and can have a variety of colors. They can be yellow, orange, green, and even red. While crickets are primarily green, brown, and grey. An easy way to identify if it is a cricket or not is to take a look at the antennas. Crickets have longer antennas than grasshoppers. If you so happen to find one of these insects flying in the air, then you have found a grasshopper. Crickets do not have the ability to fly, they can only jump, while grasshoppers can fly and jump.
Diet
Grasshoppers have been known to be quite the garden pest. Eating the stems and leaves of the plant to eat the produce growing from the plant. They can be an annoying nuisance for any avid gardener. Unfortunately, crickets can be quite the nuisance as well. Finding their way into homes and causing destruction within the pantry. Crickets will feast on grains, fruits, vegetables, and whatever other snacks you may have laying around. These two insects can cause a lot of damage for farmers because they will eat the leaves and produce. Causing millions of dollars in damages in the process.
Behavior
A difference between these two insects that many may not know is that Grasshoppers can be found during the day and crickets are easily found at night. This is because crickets are nocturnal insects and grasshoppers are diurnal insects. Some species of grasshoppers are also known to fly, meanwhile crickets can only jump. Furthermore, both of these insects make a chirping noise, however, they produce these noises from different places of their body.
Crickets make their chirping sounds by rubbing their wings together. By rubbing the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom side of the other wing this allows them to make their iconic chirping noise. It is a little different for grasshoppers. They produce the chirping sounds by rubbing their hind legs with their wings. Grasshoppers then catch the sound through little ears which are situated on the base of the abdomen. In crickets, the sound-catching organ is situated on the front legs.
Camel Cricket
Grasshoppers and crickets can get out of hand pretty quickly. Call the professionals at U.S. Pest today and we can help eliminate your grasshopper or cricket problem once and for all. Call 615-822-8500 or visit uspest.com.
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