Are Camel Crickets Harmful?

Most experts would agree that camel crickets are harmless but invasive. Harmless in that they do not bite humans and are not known to spread human pathogens or dangerous bacteria, but invasive in that they can damage the belongings and plants inside a home. But this is a textbook answer. If you ask anyone who has ever battled camel crickets, they are far from harmless.

Camel crickets, also known as spider crickets, have a spider-like appearance because their legs rise above their bodies. When they start to appear on the cold, hard walls inside a home, it can be quite disturbing, especially for a homeowner with a fear of spiders. What's worse, spider crickets have a defensive trait that causes them to leap directly at a creature they believe to be a threat. Few people think spider-like creatures leaping out of the darkness of their basement is harmless.

While camel crickets will usually stay in basements, utility rooms, bathrooms, and other locations with high humidity or hard walls, they can find themselves in common areas too. This is usually when we get a call to come to have a look. It is no fun sitting on a camel cricket as you're about to relax and watch some television. And it is even less fun to roll over onto a camel cricket while you're in bed. We also get calls when camel crickets begin to feed on wallpaper or leave a large number of feces.

Camel crickets are an overwintering pest that will get into homes in the fall, lay eggs in early spring, and hatch those eggs in April. If you're dealing with camel crickets in the winter, you'll be dealing with even more camel crickets in spring.

Some camel crickets don't survive the winter. When they die, they can create an unpleasant odor inside a home. And, while we don't find this odor to be enjoyable, other pests do. It's like ringing the dinner bell. So, it is good to deal with a camel cricket infestation, even if you don't consider them harmful. The pests that come to feed on them may be.

Quick Control

There is no quick way to arrest a camel cricket infestation in your New York or Connecticut home, but it is best to call a pest control professional if you want the fastest control of these insects. Getting rid of camel crickets isn't easy. These insects get into wall voids and other hard-to-get-to spaces. Extermination is a process that requires treatment, traps, and ongoing monitoring of pest pressures.

What Can A Homeowner Do About Camel Crickets?

If you already have camel crickets in your home, you will have some limited success if you:

• Put dehumidifiers in rooms that have high humidity. This will drive these moisture-loving pests out.
• Address any leaks or weeping pipes. Spider crickets need water to survive.
• Create a clear zone of about 2 feet all the way around your home to reduce camel cricket populations outside. You can do this by raking leaves away, moving mulch back, removing weeds, moving woodpiles away, and eliminating hiding places.
• Inspect your exterior walls and use a caulking gun to seal holes, gaps, and cracks.
• Examine all of your screens and make sure they are in good working condition.
• Cover foundation vents and other potential entry points.
• While it is not possible to get rid of all the food sources in your home, cleaning up food particles, storing fruit in the fridge, and putting pet food down only during mealtimes can help resist camel crickets.

Another way to deal with camel crickets is to have ongoing pest control service from a pest control company. At Parkway Pest Services, camel crickets are only one of 30 household pests we protect against. When you sign up for PestGuard or PestGuard+, it's like putting the shields up on your home.

Camel crickets may be "mostly" harmless, but there are many pests that can harm you, your family, your pets, your belongings, and your home. Ongoing pests service isn't something people only get for convenience. It is vital protection every home should have. Get yours today.