If you are squeamish, you don’t want to see bugs crawling around your home, especially when that bug is a camel cricket. Camel crickets are intimidating, gross to look at, and downright nasty. Camel crickets love everything about your home: its basement, the attic, your crawlspace, and the laundry room.
What are Camel Crickets?
Camel crickets go by many names. The most common one is cave cricket. When you get a good look at one, you will understand where the name comes from.
Camel crickets are between half-an-inch to an inch and a half in size, and they get their name from the large hump they have on their backs. They have six legs, but two distinctly long legs in the back. They are light to dark brown with darker bands across the body. Camel crickets are not like their noisy cousins. Because they don’t have organs that produce sound, they don’t chirp. They just look very scary instead.
About Camel Crickets
Camel crickets are active at night. While you sleep, they are on the move. This makes them difficult to detect because they usually hide during the day. Camel crickets are an overwintering pest, which means they hide indoors until spring. Where do they hide? You guessed it: your home! When females lay their eggs in the early stages of spring, the babies are out by mid-April. When that happens, you have a camel cricket infestation on your hands. When camel crickets are in your home, they will ruin fabrics, clothing, and furniture.
How to Prevent Camel Crickets
If you don’t want camel crickets overstaying their welcome in your home, try these preventative measures:
- Seal any cracks and crevices in and around your home where crickets can gain entry.
- Store firewood and kindling at least 20 feet away from your home.
- Ventilate your basement, crawl space, and attic.
- Reduce moisture in your home, especially in those darker, undisturbed places where camel crickets are attracted.
- Call a professional pest control technician.
It is hard to fight a pest that you can’t even see most of the time. Trust us, you would know a camel cricket if you saw it! It is intimidating. It also doesn’t belong in your home, and it certainly should not be laying its eggs in there either. Call Parkway Pest Services for assistance getting rid of camel crickets and keep them out all year long with year-round residential pest control services. We can keep camel crickets and other pests out of your home for good; let’s discuss which plan is right for your home and your budget.