Did you know that a camel cricket can jump as high as three feet? Unfortunately, this astonishing acrobatic feat makes this cricket species challenging to catch. Learn how to kill camel crickets indoors and outside and some tips for preventing a cricket invasion.
A camel cricket goes by many names, including spider cricket and cave cricket. Unlike many other pests in the insect world, they do not bite, and they are not known to carry any diseases. However, while they are one of the safest home invaders, causing no harm to you or your pets, they may cause havoc to your home if left unchecked.
The camel cricket lives longer than the true cricket or typical house cricket, and they are more apt to cause an infestation. Camelback crickets devour anything organic, from drapes and carpeting to clothes, and many of these insects create a problem inside the home.
Ways to Eliminate Camel Crickets
While a camel cricket doesn’t threaten you personally, it may become a concern if it finds its way indoors. Discover several ways to eliminate these pests and stop a cricket infestation before it starts. You can remove spider crickets naturally, as well as spider crickets, but it’s often easier just to get rid of them completely.
What Are Camel Crickets?
Camel crickets don’t look like your everyday house cricket. In fact, you may be startled by their appearance since they look more like a spider with long legs than a field cricket or mole cricket. Learn more ways to trap camel crickets and keep the problem out of the house.
The mature camel cricket measures up to four inches long from its hind legs to antennae, unlike common crickets and mole crickets that only reach an inch and a half. Young spider crickets are translucent, and adults are light to dark brown. Unlike other male crickets, male spider crickets do not chirp.
Different types of camel crickets throughout North America include the greenhouse camel cricket (Diestrammena asynamora), favoring living areas like caves and mines. They are most prevalent in the eastern United States, from New Jersey down.
According to the National Pest Management Association, camel crickets sometimes sneak into a crawl space or damp basement, seeking shelter and food. This is when you need to be concerned with a camel cricket infestation.
This pest has a preferred diet of dead insects, eggs, fungi, tubers, and other organic materials, but they aren’t picky if trapped in your house and will feast on natural materials like curtains and clothing.
Are There Natural Ways to Kill Camel Crickets?
Fortunately, there are several natural ways to kill camel crickets if you do not want to use insecticides that contain harmful chemicals. Explore some common home remedies for eliminating crickets.
What kills camel crickets naturally? While various methods for eliminating crickets exist, diatomaceous earth is a top choice. This naturally occurring powder damages the insect’s exoskeleton as it walks across it, eventually leading to death.
Other ways to get rid of camel crickets without chemicals are to poison them with boric acid, drown them with soapy water, or capture them with a glue trap. Spider crickets can be killed the same way.
Peppermint essential oil is an excellent alternative if you prefer to deter rather than kill these pests. It repels crickets, as well as roaches, ants, spiders, and a host of other bugs you don’t want in the house.
It’s easy to make your own bug deterrent. The best DIY cricket repellent spray combines a half teaspoon of peppermint oil with eight ounces of water in a sprayer bottle.
The Best Way to Kill Camel Crickets Outside
If you discover camel crickets infesting your outdoor area, it’s wise to eliminate them before they head indoors. The best way to kill camel crickets in the yard naturally is with food-grade diatomaceous earth.
DE, or diatomaceous earth, is one of the best natural ways to kill camel crickets. It’s safe to use in and outside the house – find it at many home improvement stores. Locate the area outside where you suspect camel crickets, around the garage, in a tool shed, or under rocks by your home’s foundation.
Put on a face mask to prevent powder inhalation, fill an applicator with DE, and apply a decent layer in these areas. If you don’t have an applicator, use your hands to sprinkle the dust over the ground. Kill crickets with DE as they walk through the powder and dehydrate.
How to Kill Camel Crickets Indoors
One of our favorite home remedies for killing camel crickets inside is a homemade trap. A sticky trap captures crickets and is excellent for trapping other common pests, like the bed bug, cockroach, or other pantry pest.
Camel crickets are fast and high jumpers, which causes a problem if you’re trying to catch them by hand. The best way to kill camel crickets is to set up a trap.
Fill shallow containers with water, add a teaspoon of molasses as cricket bait, and set the containers in the basement and other areas where you notice camel crickets. The crickets are attracted to the sweet scent and get stuck in the sticky solution.
Easy Ways to Prevent Camel Crickets
The best form of pest control is to take preventative measures – the same is true for camel crickets. Discover some prevention tips to help keep these crickets out of the home to stop an infestation.
Start by checking your home for areas where crickets make their way inside, and use caulk to seal the entryways. Look for cracks in the foundation, improperly sealed windows and doors, and holes in the siding.
Since camel crickets enjoy moisture, inspect the house for leaking pipes and other sources of water and take necessary waterproofing steps. Also, cut tall grass, keep lids on outdoor garbage cans, and store rocks, wood, and other debris away from the house.
Another way to keep these insects from entering your living space is to deter them with a spray. Combine one cup of distilled water with a quarter cup of white vinegar and ten drops of peppermint oil in a glass bottle and spray the liquid on all the entry points to your home.
Discovering a camel cricket in your basement may seem like nothing to worry about, but more than one of these pests may lead to a spider cricket infestation. These insects jump crazy high, making them difficult to capture and release. Luckily, there are ways to eliminate crickets in a few simple steps.
Now that you know how to kill camel crickets and keep your home safe from a cricket invasion, why not share our spider cricket elimination and prevention guide with your friends and family on Pinterest and Facebook?