How to Get Rid of Spider Crickets

Known as spider cricket, cave cricket, house cricket, camel cricket, Diestrammena asynamora, or even mole crickets, many homeowners wonder how to get rid of spider crickets. As its name suggests, this long-legged dark brown bug looks like a cricket with a hint of a spider.

They prefer cool, dark, high moisture environments like damp basements or a crawl space with an easy entry point. A camel cricket infestation is particularly frightening as they’re giant bugs with many legs and antennae.

They are sometimes mistaken for giant spiders, but they also have the unwelcome tendency of leaping straight at you when startled.

Learn the Best Way to Get Rid of Spider Crickets

Unlike the more common cricket species, the field cricket or true cricket, spider crickets prefer to move inside your home rather than live outside in tall grass. If you live in North America, you may have encountered these house crickets in your basement or other moist, dark areas like wood piles.

Thankfully, many natural ways to get rid of spider crickets are available, and home remedies for getting rid of spider crickets with just a few simple supplies are very effective.

They aren’t technically crickets, yet they aren’t spiders either. Spider crickets aren’t aggressive and don’t typically bite like the wolf spider but may chew on surfaces to taste them.

Fabrics, wood, and plants are among the things they gnaw on. It’s likely if one lands on your naked skin, it may gnaw you. Even without tearing the skin, the bites are painful.

Because these pests prefer the cold and damp, unlike other insect invaders, they prefer to come inside when the weather gets warmer and dry rather than cold. You’re more likely to see them indoors during the summer and fall; they breed in your home if the conditions are appropriate and may appear year-round.

The easiest method to avoid spider crickets in the first place is to keep them out; if they do get inside and you’re stuck wondering how to get rid of spider crickets, the answer is simple.

Many options exist for natural ways to get rid of spider crickets, allowing you to choose the perfect way to get rid of spider crickets based on your available supplies.

How to Get Rid of Spider Crickets with Insecticidal Soap

To kill spider crickets or if you are infested by pincher bugs, make a simple insecticidal soap mixture. This method is effective and does not require harsh pesticides. Choose an insecticidal soap from your local garden store appropriate for the job. Dish soap is often used in home treatments; however, it doesn’t always kill insects.

Pour the soap and water into a spray bottle. As a test, spray a small area of your home with the mixture. Check the next day to ensure no fabric was discolored, paint affected, etc. Spray the solution over surfaces where bugs congregate when getting rid of crickets indoors. Because any untreated areas could result in re-infestation, ensure comprehensive coverage.

Sticky Traps to Get Rid of Spider Crickets

A sticky trap or glue trap is an easy answer to how to get rid of spider crickets. Killing one or two camel crickets when you notice them won’t help in the long term because camel cricket populations develop quickly.

Purchase sticky bug traps, which are large strips of cardboard with strong adhesive, and distribute them in areas where crickets are seen frequently. Ensure you don’t tread on the traps as they stick to shoes and skin.

Natural Ways to Get Rid of Spider Crickets – Soapy Water

One of the most inexpensive and straightforward cures for a spider cricket infestation is soapy water. Fill bowls halfway with soapy water and place them in your basement, where crickets are most likely found.

Spider crickets are attracted to water, rush into these bowls, and drown. Soap counteracts the waxy layer on the exoskeleton of spider crickets, allowing them to drown more quickly.

Vacuum Up Spider Crickets

Bug vacuums or your regular vacuum cleaner effectively catch spider crickets in hard-to-reach areas. They’re simple to use, and unlike squishing pests, you won’t have to clean up the mess from stamping on insects.

Most vacuums have a long head, allowing you to reach otherwise inaccessible locations. This vacuum nozzle collects pesky pests quickly and safely. In addition to spider crickets, vacuums are good at trapping flies, spiders, cockroaches, and other insects and are harmless because they do not contain hazardous chemicals.

Spray Spider Cricket Congregation Points with Neem Oil

Neem oil is one of the natural ways to get rid of spider crickets. Spider crickets are a nuisance and quickly take over both inside and outside your home. Fortunately, neem oil is a common natural insecticide to get rid of these insects.

The chemicals in this oil disrupt these insects’ hormonal systems, and the insects’ capacity to consume food, mate, and lay eggs is harmed.

To make this simple but effective homemade cricket repellent, swirl the items together in a spray canister until combined and spray all surfaces where crickets convene. In just a few easy steps, get rid of spider crickets with items you probably already have at home.

Cedar Oil Eliminates Spider Crickets

Cedar oil is another natural spider cricket repellent. When the crickets contact the oil, they suffer osmotic dehydration and die.

Combine cedar oil and water in a spray container to make your bug spray. Repel crickets by spraying in areas where they are likely to enter the house. Cedar oil has the bonus of being non-toxic, and it leaves your space smelling great.

Diatomaceous Earth Dehydrates Spider Crickets

Diatomaceous earth is perhaps the best way to get rid of spider crickets if you seek a non-toxic answer to your spider cricket problem. The thin, talc-like, off-white powder, also known as DE, is comprised of finely crushed remains of fossilized sea phytoplankton.

It lacerates the exoskeletons of spider crickets, causing them to die from dehydration. DE is sold at garden supply stores and is safe for pets and children.

Decluttering to Get Rid of Spider Crickets

Spider crickets love to hide in dark enclosed spaces, hence their nickname of cave cricket. If you own a damp basement or another area with high moisture levels and many hiding places, you may be unwittingly creating the perfect spider cricket habitat and breeding ground.

Cleaning up old cardboard, ensuring your basement is free of leaves and plant debris, and having general decluttering helps with spider cricket control. These pests thrive in damp and dark areas Cleaning out your space removes many habitat options, making inside your home less hospitable to the spider cricket.

Use a Dehumidifier

Like decluttering, a dehumidifier makes your home a less desirable target for this insect pest. Spider crickets thrive in areas with lots of moisture. Using a dehumidifier dries out a space, addressing any dampness, and making it an undesirable environment.

Even if you already have a spider cricket infestation, using a dehumidifier helps prompt them to move back outside, as the conditions are no longer favorable.

To select the correct size dehumidifier for your needs, use a tape measure on the dimensions of your space. Determine the room’s width and length, then multiply these two dimensions to find the total area covered.

Dehumidifiers have a capacity measured in pints – how much water a dehumidifier removes from a living space in a single day. A 30 pint dehumidifier suffices for moist areas of 500-1,500 square feet, while a 50 pint is best for damp areas of 2,000-2,500 square feet.

Sealing Cracks is a Natural Way to Get Rid of Spider Crickets

Taking away the insect’s entry point prevents them from coming inside. Check your space for any loose, cracked, or broken seals, including around windows and under doors. Inspect for ceiling or wall damage and look for any areas spider crickets might be using to gain entry into your home.

Apply simple adhesive seals to block underneath doors. Seal cracks around windows and repair walls and ceilings as needed to keep this pest out. Even if you already have spider crickets inside, sealing after treatment is imperative to avoid re-infestation.

Commercial Insecticide

A wide range of commercial pesticides is available from hardware and garden stores. Ensure you select one appropriate for the control of spider crickets. Read all manufacturer’s warnings and follow the guidelines on the bottle.

Begin controlling spider crickets outside your home by spraying this area with pesticides. Cover decks, sheds, entrances, foundation walls, and windows. To keep cave crickets at bay, spray once a month.

Boric Acid Bait

Boric acid is a frequently used insecticide bait component. When everyday household pests like spider crickets unknowingly swallow boric acid, they get dehydrated from the inside out and die in two or three days.

Sprinkle boric acid anywhere spider crickets are seen. Because crickets, whether spider crickets or field crickets, do not live in colonies or eat communally, a high concentration kills them quickly.

Mowing the Lawn

Allowing dense vegetation or tall grass close to your home’s walls attracts spider crickets. Trim your lawn regularly, and don’t allow tall grass to develop.

Check that your home’s surroundings are free of garbage accumulation, as spider crickets and other pests feed on waste and rotten food. Keep garbage cans away from your home and empty them often to avoid attracting pests.

Electric Rat Traps Work for Spider Crickets

An electronic rat trap is an excellent tool to use to get rid of spider crickets quickly, as it eliminates these pests instantly. Ensure the electrical rat trap you buy works with moisture rather than infrared heat.

Spider crickets are poikilotherms, so their surroundings substantially impact their internal body temperature because they can’t maintain thermal homeostasis; this means infrared rat traps won’t work on them. Electronic rat traps fry a cricket so quickly it explodes with a crackling sound, instantly taking care of your pest problem.

Cats – The Ultimate Bug Killer

Control camel crickets in your home with cats. Bug hunting and eating are intuitive and exciting for these feline animals because bugs are tiny and fast, and they are the creatures cats’ brains are wired to chase. This instinct isn’t limited to stray cats; even household cats have a predatory drive.

Consider letting your cat into areas with spider crickets to allow natural predation to help remove the pest. Be aware of any sprays or chemicals you have used in the room, and always make sure they are safe for your pet.

Spider crickets may appear frightening, yet they’re pretty similar to their true cricket counterparts. Most of them are kept outside with a few preventative measures, and any inside are dispatched with simple traps.

However, if your home urgently needs spider cricket control, enlisting expert assistance from wildlife control is brilliant. A pest control service or the National Pest Management Association may be your best option.

A spider cricket invasion is daunting, and struggling to know how to get rid of spider crickets is no fun. The best way to remove spider crickets depends on the level of infestation and what factors such as moisture, hiding places, or tall grass and trash influence the insect’s attraction to your home.

Whether you value natural ways to get rid of spider crickets or want them gone fast, choose a method best fitting your home and individual circumstances and oust these insect pests for good.

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