List of Singing Insects

Quiet summer nights are often interrupted with clicks and chirps from singing insects. There are many insects that sing, for different reasons. Insects such as crickets, katydids, grasshoppers and cicadas sing to attract mates. The sounds insects make can also be a way of warning others of danger.

Crickets

• Crickets sing by rubbing the top of one wing against the underside of the other wing. Each wing has a vein with a row teeth that scrapes the other wing, creating the chirping sound. Crickets make different sounds for mating, to sound an alarm and for fighting. Only males sing, as female crickets do not have teeth on the bottom of their wings. The chirp speed depends on the temperature; the warmer the temperature, the faster crickets chirp.

Katydids

• Katydids are very large, winged insects. They are mostly green but can be pink. Males sing similarly to the way crickets sing; one forewing of the male has an area like a file that it rubs against a scraper area on the other forewing. They can control the volume of the singing. Both males and females make noises. Females are able to respond to male mating songs with a noise that sounds like someone is saying "Katy did." Like crickets, katydids sing mainly in the evening.

Grasshoppers

• Even though crickets and grasshoppers are closely related, they do not produce songs in the same way. Grasshoppers rub their hind legs together to produce their mating call. The main way to distinguish grasshoppers from crickets is antenna length. Grasshoppers typically have shorter antennae than crickets. Grasshoppers are also more commonly seen during the day instead of at night.

Cicadas

• There are over 3,000 species of cicadas. Cicadas are feared by farmers because they can inflict serious damage on crops when they swarm. Different species make different sounds. Some click in a manner similar to crickets, while others hum. Most cicadas have drum-like structures on their abdomens that vibrate to produce the sound. However, one species makes noise in the same way as crickets. Cicadas are also known as locusts.