Finally, they are also sometimes referred to as sprickets or greenhouse crickets in some locales. As the name cave cricket suggests, these critters are most often found in caves and mines. They can also be found under rotting logs, piles of damp leaves, rocks, or your basement. A few species have been found living near the permanent ice caps of the Andes, while others live in normally hot climates such as central Texas.
Camel crickets will eat just about anything organic. This includes insect eggs, dead insects including flies, spiders , other cave crickets , tubers, fungi, roots, etc. This can pose a problem when they wander into your house, as clothing and curtains are organic materials and are likely to be turned into Swiss cheese.
They most often arrive by accident from a nearby shelter. The motives may be escaping from a predator or while foraging for food or water. Once indoors, you could find them hiding in your garage, bathroom, basement, crawlspace, tool shed, or attic. Spotting a cave cricket in one of these locations can be a good indicator of moisture or entry points other, more problematic critters might try to use.
Unlike many other insects, crickets lack the ability to bite and are generally very passive critters. When startled or at risk, the only defense a camel cricket has is jumping. Thanks to their long hind legs and quick reflexes, a camel cricket can jump as high as three feet.
This amazing feat of acrobatics can help a cave cricket escape most small predators. Even though they pose no immediate harm to your family, sprickets can cause incredible damage to your home. They not only eat your clothes, drapes, carpets, and anything else organic they can find, but will poop all over the place afterwards. Additionally, cave crickets are communal and can usually be found in groups.
They live longer than true crickets, so an infestation can explode in scale over a relatively short period of time. This can be doubly frustrating because a lot of products on the market are potentially dangerous to humans or pets. The following methods are all safe to use around the house. One of the easiest ways to deal with a camel cricket is to grab several containers and add some Dawn and water to them.
An alternative to soap is molasses. These critters will be attracted to the smell and get stuck. You can use a ratio of molasses to water in small bowls and stick these around the house. One of our favorite remedies against bugs, diatomaceous earth is a widely available, all-natural product. You can make use of your Bug-A-Salt to stun these critters. You can then drop a jar or kill them before they regain movement. Another option is to use a bug zapping racket.
The fun of these is your kids can practice their baseball skills and be rewarded for a hit with a satisfying pop. Just be warned, your kids need to be old enough to know not to touch the wires or they could get a painful but non-lethal shock.
Cats are another great way to hunt these critters. Outside of lazier breeds such as Persians, cats can really enjoy hunting cave crickets and will kill and eat any they find. Just be careful not to use any chemical organic or otherwise poisons, as the cat may ingest some when eating a poisoned cricket.
You have a lot more leeway with garage infestations, as even an attached garage can be sealed off from your family temporarily. Unfortunately, Horton said, there's no easy stopper when it comes to camel crickets inside the house.
Horton's business, for example, will come to your home and find the source area of the crickets, he said. He'll use a one-time application of pesticide, then replace any damp fiberglass insulation and spray a foam that creates a moisture barrier over cracks and crevices. And while the crickets are harmless to humans, they may get around to some of your household items. They feed on anything organic, dead or alive, including dead animals, mold, mildew, old food and paper products, Horton said.
The best way to kill the crickets is by planting glue traps in problem areas around your home, Horton said. If you see one jumping around the house, a vacuum will do the trick. Moisture reduction is the key to reducing your household cricket population, he said. That may mean running a dehumidifier in a few rooms to cut out that dampness. She has written extensively for the "Washington Post" and served as editor for an international health-care magazine and a group of newspapers for older adults.
She earned a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University. What Insecticide Kills Camel Crickets? Home Guides Garden Pest Control. By Barbara Ruben. Related Articles. Outdoor Control The first line of defense against camel crickets is keeping them outside.
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