INSECTS INJURIOUS TO CLOTHES 223 



tailor and was hanging over a chair was completely ruined 

 in a single night by crickets that had entered through open 

 windows and eaten large holes in the garments." Lintner 

 identified the crickets as Gryllus luctuosus, a common 

 black species. 



Crickets hibernate as adults through the winter and, of 

 course, seek warm protected places in which to hide. 

 Very often in the fall, as the nights grow cold, they enter 

 dwelling-houses, especially those that may be temporarily 

 unoccupied. Here they often attack woolen clothing 

 hanging in closets and cause serious injury by eating the 

 garments full of holes. When the occupants return and 

 start the fires they often find the house full of these noisy 

 and rather unwelcome guests. 



The crickets with which American residents are probably 

 most familiar are individuals of the common blackish or 

 brownish-black species present everywhere. These are 

 not true house crickets, for they live in the fields and do 

 not breed in houses so far as is known. The domestic 

 cricket is a European insect, but it was probably intro- 

 duced into this country very early in its history. It is 

 evidently quite widely distributed in America, although it 

 cannot be said to be common in the United States. It is 

 much more common in Canada. 



The house cricket (Gryllus domesticus) is of a pale brown 

 color throughout (Fig. 66). It frequents more commonly 

 the ground floors of houses and ensconces itself about the 

 chimney, where there is sufficient warmth. Because of 

 the warmth and food in bakeries it is often found in these 

 shops. Like other crickets, it is mainly nocturnal in 

 habits, waiting until the dusk of evening before beginning 

 its activities in hunting food and chirping its love song. 



