6 things to know about crickets

As the summer weather stays warm into the last half of August, the crickets continue to sing.

Here are six things you need to know about the insectoid musicians. 

1. The collective noun for a group of crickets is an orchestra.

The cricket takes its name from the sound it makes, based on the Old French word "criquet", meaning "to creak, rattle." If felines had been named the same way back in the day, we would be calling a cat "a meow." 

But because the insect's name comes from the sound its song makes — "cricket, cricket, cricket" — it only makes sense that when the musicians are together, they're called an orchestra. 

2. They've mastered the love ballad.

In the cricket world, a musical talent is essential for the continuation of the species. 

"They make sounds mainly to attract the female," said Dr. Christine Noronha, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in P.E.I. 

But according to Norohna, the males have also mastered a rebuttal to the classic "steal your girl" tunes.

"That will warn other crickets that, 'You know, I am here…'" 

3. Crickets make music with their wings, not their legs.

The idea that the chirping stems from the creatures grinding their hind legs together is a myth. 

They actually use their wings.

Norohna said one wing has a scraper and the other has a file-like structure. When crickets rub those together, it makes a noise.  

"They also have another structure which is called a harp," she said. "It amplifies the sound so it becomes really loud. That's why you can hear it." 

4. They are some people's prized possessions.  

Find a cricket in your house? It's your lucky day — quite literally. 

According to Chinese tradition, having the living music box in your home is a sign of good fortune and a predictor of tranquillity.

"Sometimes people keep them as pets," said Norohna.  

Remember Mulan and her chirping sidekick? 

So instead of reaching for a swatter the next time the sound is coming from inside the house, perhaps embrace the calmness the bug has bestowed upon you. 

5. Jiminy Cricket… might not be a cricket. 

In a 1988 interview aired on The South Bank Show in the U.K. the man behind designing the well-known Disney character said he was horrified when he first saw what a cricket looked liked. 

Ward Kimball wanted to humanize the critter for its role in the 1940 animated movie Pinocchio, so after several attempts, the insect evolved into the figure we know today.  

"The audience accepts him as a cricket because the other characters say he is," said Kimball, according to the Walt Disney website. 

6. They're worth millions of dollars, collectively. 

Next time you throw a dinner party, dazzle your guests by sprinkling some crickets on the salad.  

On top of being the food of choice for your pet lizard, they are also proving to be an excellent source of protein for humans. While the insect-for-protein industry is now valued at millions of dollars, researchers expect it to grow even further. 

"I've eaten cricket," said Norohna, laughing about having given the food a try during an entomology conference. 

"They are crunchy."  

But be sure to place the bugs in the freezer before cooking them. One website says, "The cold air slows a cricket's metabolism and prevents your food from hopping away."

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