The Cricket in Valley Glen Square

I am not a fan of repetitive noises. The incessant drone of an air conditioner under my window or a siren or a clicking of any kind sends me over the edge. So, you can imagine that the sound of cricket chirping wouldn't last long in my house.

I don't have anything against crickets at all. In fact one of my all-time favorite books is George Selden's lovely little story about a boy and his cricket in Times Square. Everyone should read it. It's wonderful.









However, when I came home the other night to a very loud, non-outdoor chirping I had to investigate its whereabouts as I have a strict no-insect-in-MY-natural-habitat policy.

I found it. In my bathtub. In the drain. I couldn't see the little guy but I could certainly hear him. I ran the water but the song returned a few minutes later. I let it be but knew that that cricket would eventually want to come out of the drain and into my house. The policy is very strict and as the sole enforcer, I cannot rest until the menace is eradicated.

So, right before I went to bed, I decided that scalding HOT water would surely make the cricket meet its demise. I ran a lot of hot water and it stopped for the night.

It was not to be. Apparently, crickets are hot water resistant as the sound returned in full force tonight. Stronger methods would need to be employed.

I took out the bleach and started to pour and the sound stopped. I returned to my living room for a few minutes and continued my telephone conversation. I decided to go back in and check on things and to my shock and dismay the cricket (seen in the picture below post mortem) and his other tiny cricket son had scurried up the drain and into the other end of my tub to make their escape.

Serious violators they had now become and I retrieved the proper equipment for insect-in-the-home removal; a shoe. I got the big one on the first whack but the little guy was a lot more resilient than I expected.

The moral of this story is that crickets won't be killed with bleach but they can be chased with it.

Now all is well again in the Square and the policy is upheld.