they prefer dry
They like to live in dry or damp places
damp
Eureka, CA is a moist coastal place.
When we spray water on soil,bacteria known as antinomycytes get damp and start floating in air.It is the bacteria that smells not the soil.
dry areas have tightly packed soil , which is actually erode by a runoff
dry
Crickets prefer moist, dark, and cool places. However, they do no like an environment that is too wet or too cold.
very dry
DRY
dry and firm
It is probably clay. Clay when dry is very hard, but when it is damp it is very easy to shape. Not suitable for gardening though because the texture of the soil makes it hard to find food.
so they do not dry out