For those who think that cricket is not popular in Bulgaria, this is not the case. Many have been puzzled as to why this year, in particular, many Bulgarian homes have been shocked by the invasion of this cricket. Expats and tourists in the Bulgarian countryside have been hit by six and some have been caught or even turned into an unpleasant situation.

The cricket ground is to blame, as the hard, cracked surface without any sign of vegetation has given way to a very offensive formation, all closed in defense of guard batsmen. It has really become Bulgarian home cricket.

Let me make this clearer…

Many areas of Bulgaria and certainly rural houses in southeastern Bulgaria have been plagued by black field crickets.

Many people, including Bulgarians, have spoken deeply about the problem and many are forced to spend (a rare occurrence in villages) on poison to control the number of people invading their homes. Literally buckets full of these creatures make their way into the home and buildings, making it a nightmare for those who fear these relatively harmless insects.

This started in early July and has been caused by the very poor season for sunflowers, sweet corn and many other crops that should have been in their prime right now. The poor aptly named field crickets now find themselves without their normal food source such as seeds, plants or other smaller insects. They are known to feed on grasshopper eggs, moth pupae, butterflies and flies, and even steal food from webbed spiders. This is conclusive evidence that crickets have a positive effect on the field of action.

Therefore, the lack of natural diets leads the Bulgarian field cricket community to find other sources of food, and inevitably houses and buildings are a rich alternative source for them, where so many other foods and insects hang out. .

If you can imagine the areas of agricultural land that surround the small towns, especially in the southeast of a region of Bulgaria. Southeastern Bulgaria has the lowest population density compared to other regions, as well as being the most industrial in agricultural activities. These facts are a double whammy with the cricket problem creating an unprecedented situation where literally swarms of Bulgarian field crickets now have no choice but to look for other food sources to survive.

Where does this leave the country dweller? Well the vast majority of these invaded homes are simply swept every few hours, cats, chickens, other wild birds and mice love them for food so the outbuildings take care of themselves. The biggest problem is actually in the living room where of course in Bulgaria livestock and pets or otherwise are not allowed. This is a human problem and as far as the Bulgarian is concerned it is just another chore to do as part of the daily routine. This has happened before in bad seasons and is accepted as an integral part of country life.

As for the foreigners in Bulgarian who want the Bulgarian life, well, they are having the real life of the Bulgarian countryside for real. The pretty little picture through rose-tinted glasses suddenly disappears with this setting, but this is nature, and at some point, nature throws things at us that we feel uncomfortable with. It would be the same in your own homeland, where you may not be able to afford country life, but on occasion the same clash of natural circumstances may well prevail.

Ways of getting into a home include open doors, gaps in ill-fitting doors and windows, and cracks in windows and window frames, through the foundation or siding. Other entry points are attics and light fixtures, fireplace vents, and poorly fitting crown molding. The typical Bulgarian house has many access points in the nature of its Bulgarian construction, therefore giving away their homes to these invasive field crickets now making their way into the fold.

It must be said that well-renovated houses built to Western European standards have much less of a problem and the only real prevention that can be done is to keep doors and windows closed. This is really no difficulty, as the screens are part of that renovation and most fixtures need to be relatively airtight against the straight walls and plumb-built ceiling in place. What these crickets have done is become a barometer of how well your house has been renovated!

Of course, other prevention measures can be implemented. The only really effective one that puts insecticide powder around the perimeter of the house and just sweeps up the debris every morning scattered around. Inside the house I don’t like to use poison, so on the occasion that I see one, I use a refillable hand float and feed the contents to the chickens in the morning.

Fortunately this is a limited overs game and the cricket season basically ends with the first cold night, the numbers will drop before this and eventually everyone will die with the first frost. Next year is another season where hopefully the popularity of cricket in Bulgarian households will hold strong on Sky Sport TV. Mind you, some prefer the Bulgarian type of insect to the real game!