Yes. Crickets are sensitive to changes in temperature and chirp at faster rates when the ambient temperature rises. This frequency of chirping is directly proportional to the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. In 1897, Amos Dolbear formulated and published the relationship between the chirping frequency of the snowy tree cricket and the ambient temperature.
According to Dolbear's Law, the temperature outside can be estimated by counting the number of chirps in a 15-second period and adding 40. For example, if you hear 35 chirps in 15 seconds, then the temperature should be approximately 75°F.
35 chirps in 15 seconds + 40 = 75°F
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an online calculator that converts the number of cricket chirps to the corresponding temperature.
Although the chirp rate of the more common field cricket (which is black in color) varies with temperature, the mathematical formula is slightly different from Dolbear's Law, and some indicate that it is slightly less accurate. The Great Plains Nature Center has published that the relationship between number of chirps of a field cricket and the ambient temperature can be determined by counting the number of chirps in a 15-second period and adding 37. For example, if 35 chirps are heard in 15 seconds, then the temperature should be approximately 72°F.
More about crickets . . .
Crickets are a member of the Orthoptera order, which includes grasshoppers, locusts, and katydids. They have long antennas and flattened bodies, and are most often recognized by their chirp. Since only the male's wings have teeth that act as a comb and file instrument, they, unlike female crickets, can produce the song-like chirp. The chirp is generated by lifting their left forewing, which has the teeth, to a 45-degree angle and rubbing it against the upper hind edge of their right forewing, which has a thick scraper. Crickets have sensory elements just below the joints of their front legs that allow them to hear
the chirping of other crickets.
Crickets can produce a loud monotonous chirp or a soft, more subtle chirp depending on the purpose of the song. Crickets may chirp loudly to attract a female, alert other crickets of danger, or to aggressively deter another male. Once females are near, a softer chirp is produced to court the nearby female.
In some countries, particularly China and European countries in the Iberian Peninsula, crickets are kept in cages as pets and are thought to be good luck. In other countries, such as Brazil and Barbados, folklore suggests that gray crickets indicate financial wealth, whereas black crickets signify illness or death.
For more information on crickets and other insects, visit The Library of Congress, Insecta Inspecta World, or The Iowa State Entomology Index.
Article courtesy of Questline. Photo by lincoln-log