Cave crickets are annoying invaders who primarily target damp areas like crawl spaces and basements to find food scraps and make a home. Learning how to kill cave crickets lets homeowners remove these unwelcome visitors and reclaim their space.
The Diestrammena asynamora or cave cricket species has several names, including mole cricket, greenhouse camel cricket, spider crickets, and camelback crickets. These noisy pests have disconcerting long legs and long antennae, making them easy to distinguish from regular crickets.
Unlike the true cricket, house cricket, or field cricket, cave crickets are large and spidery. Despite this, they are primarily harmless other than being unsightly and noisy when chirping inside your home.
Learn the Best Way to Kill Cave Crickets
Whether you prefer chemical pesticides or natural ways to kill cave crickets, the best way to kill cave crickets varies between households. Thankfully, there are several options to get rid of crickets in your basement or crawlspace quickly and effectively.
Understanding how to kill cave crickets in your home or yard empowers you to remove these nuisance insects from your property if they ever invade. Though they don’t bite or pose any real threat, camel crickets are obtrusive due to their loud chirping call.
These crickets might chew fabrics, wood, and plants or set up nests in these areas. If you have small children or companion animals, natural ways to kill cave crickets may be most beneficial as these are often safe and won’t harm family members who accidentally come across them.
An array of camel cricket pest control options and cricket repellent products can eradicate these pests from inside and outside your home. The best way to kill cave crickets depends on the size of your infestation, the number of available supplies, and personal preferences for natural or chemical methods.
How to Kill Cave Crickets with Neem Oil
Neem oil is a safe, natural, and powerful method to deal with spider crickets. Neem oil is a standard extract from the neem tree with insecticidal properties. Compounds in neem oil tamper with cave crickets’ hormonal systems, making them unable to eat or reproduce and leading to rapid death.
Add the items to a spray canister and shake well until combined. Spray the neem oil cricket solution anywhere cave crickets are seen or suspected.
Natural Ways to Kill Cave Crickets – Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a fine white powder resembling talcum powder. It has many uses in pest control and eradicates many insect pests without harming people, pets, and beneficial insects.
Diatomaceous earth powder or DE powder is made up of the fossilized remains of tiny sea creatures and has unique properties that make it insecticidal. The sharp diatoms of DE powder are deadly to cave crickets on contact.
Spread or sprinkle DE powder in areas of cave cricket activity, aiming for moderate and widespread coverage. When cave crickets walk over the powder, it lacerates their delicate exoskeletons and eliminates them.
Diatomaceous earth is sold at most garden and home stores and provides an affordable idea for removing cave crickets quickly and safely. Sweep up or vacuum dead crickets and reapply the powder as needed.
Home Remedies for Killing Cave Crickets – Soapy Water
A soapy water trap is one of the cheapest and most intuitive methods for destroying cave crickets. These simple traps use items you have and work efficiently to eliminate insect pests inside and outside the house.
Mix liquid dish soap and clean warm water in a bowl or container and set the traps anywhere cave crickets are an issue. The water lures crickets into the bowls, where soap has lowered the surface tension, making it impossible for them to escape. Empty and reset your traps daily to catch the most crickets.
A Sticky Trap is What Kills Cave Crickets
Sticky traps or glue traps catch a large number of cave crickets in a short time to decrease the population around your home promptly. Purchase a pre-made glue trap from your local hardware store or make a DIY version.
Commercial glue traps are large cardboard strips with a strong adhesive on one side to trap crickets and insects when they walk over them. For a homemade version, cut strips of duct tape and make a large pad. Place the sticky side up in areas of cricket activity and discard it once crickets stick to the surface.
Cave Cricket Pest Control with Environmental Changes
Camel cricket infestation is a problem for homeowners across North America. Many of these insect pests enter damp basements or accessible crawl space in search of a food source and an ideal environment.
If you have a cricket invasion or want to prevent seeing cave crickets indoors, a few easy projects reduce the appeal of your home to crickets.
Making these small changes to reduce sources of food and create a less favorable environment helps remove or prevent a spider cricket infestation.
Whether you call them cave crickets, camel crickets, or something else, these pests are annoying and require swift action for pest control. Combining measures with management to remove items attracting crickets is the most effective pest control.
If you try the cricket control tips above and still have issues with cave crickets, or need advice on another persistent pest like bed bugs, review our other articles on pest control or reach out to the National Pest Management Association for support.
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