Cricket Chirp Temperature Calculator
The air temperature from the chirp rate of a cricket — Dolbear’s law, published in 1897 for the snowy tree cricket.
Crickets are cold-blooded, so their chirp rate tracks temperature almost linearly.
How the cricket chirp temperature calculator works
Crickets are cold-blooded, so their chirp rate tracks temperature almost linearly. Count the chirps in 14 seconds and add 40 for °F; or count a full minute and use 50 + (chirps − 40) ÷ 4. It works best for the snowy tree cricket between about 55 and 100 °F — field crickets chirp faster and read a few degrees high.
Formula: Dolbear: T(°F) = 50 + (chirps per minute − 40) ÷ 4 ≈ chirps in 14 s + 40
Worked examples
| Inputs | Temperature | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 30 chirps in 14 seconds | 22.3 °C | 21.3 °C (70.4 °F) |
| 120 chirps a minute | 21.1 °C | 21.1 °C (70 °F) |
| 40 chirps in 15 seconds | 26.7 °C | 26.7 °C (80 °F) |
FAQFrequently asked questions
Which crickets does this work for?
Best for the snowy tree cricket, the species Dolbear studied; field crickets chirp faster and less regularly, so their readings run a few degrees high.
Why count for 14 seconds?
Because for the snowy tree cricket the chirps in 14 seconds plus 40 equals the Fahrenheit temperature — an easy field rule. The 15-second version adds 37 instead.
What temperature range does it cover?
Roughly 55–100 °F (13–38 °C): below that crickets stop chirping, above it the relationship breaks down.
Is it really accurate?
Within a degree or two Fahrenheit for the right species. It is a demonstration of how an insect’s metabolic rate tracks temperature more than a thermometer replacement.
Where these figures come from
- NCBI Bookshelf — Molecular Biology of the Cell — growth kinetics and molecular conventions
- CSIRO — Australia's national science agency
Last checked: September 2026. Formulas are the standard textbook forms; assumptions are stated on each page because they are where these models break.