Life Cycle

House crickets have three stages in their life cycle: egg, nymph, and adult. They can live for over six weeks and their entire life cycle lasts two to three months depending on their surroundings. These crickets thrive when the temperature is between 80 and 90*F.

Mating
To attract females, male crickets chirp by scraping their wings together. After mating, a fertile female will lay eggs almost continuously. She will use her ovipositor, a tube-like organ, to deposit eggs in whatever damp substrate is available. A female can easily lay 100 eggs, and sometimes as many as 200 eggs, during her life.

Egg
A cricket begins its life in an egg. After about 14 days, it will have developed into a nymph. It will break the egg capsule and dig out of the substrate.

Nymph
Nymphs look like small versions of adult crickets with a few differences. They are not as developed so initially do not have wings and females do not have ovipositors. These young crickets often become prey for larger crickets and other insects.

In order to grow, a nymph has to shed its hard exoskeleton. This process is called molting and happens 8 to 10 times. The new exoskeleton is milky white and soft until it hardens in a few hours. A nymph will begin growing its wings after about a month.

Adult
Once a cricket reaches maturity its wings are fully developed and it only has two goals: eating and mating. A male will attempt to attract fertile females. Once mating has occurred, a female will spend her time finding suitable places to lay her eggs.