Cowleys Pest Services serving Allentown, NJ 08501

I was sent to a homeowner in Allentown who was dealing with a spider cricket infestation in her basement. These crickets are not your usual run-of-the-mill field crickets that periodically find their way into a home in small numbers. This particular type of cricket usually congregates in large numbers. It is not uncommon to see 50 to 100 of these insects just sitting on a wall in a basement or crawl space. Unlike field crickets, they don’t make chirping sounds, and instead attract mates by emitting a smell. Even compared to other insects, they are quite unattractive. From a distance, these crickets resemble spiders or shrimp because of their gangly long legs and antennae. 

These cricket have many names. I’ve heard them called camelback crickets, cave crickets, “land shrimp,” stone critics, spider crickets (which is often shortened to “criders” or “sprickets”). To me, however, they are simply “ugly creatures that have spawned from beneath.” The most common name for these insects is probably the camel cricket. Be aware! When frightened, these insects often jump directly at what frightens them. So, if you zoom in for a close and personal look, you may find yourself with a spider cricket firmly planted on your face — and these guys do bite!

These crickets are usually found in caves. They have a distinct preference for dark, moist, and humid conditions. Unfortunately, areas in our home, especially basements, crawl spaces and garages, can mimic cave-like conditions, especially when there is high indoor humidity. These insects thrive in enclosed spaces that are damp and moist, and you’ll often find them in homes with a mold or mildew problem because they feed off any fungi that grows on damp walls. Spider crickets are often a sign of a mold problem, any home with spider crickets should be inspected for mold. Also, they are voracious eaters with strong mandibles. Besides fungi, they’ll eat fabric, carpets, cardboard, dust, and plants — and they are not too proud to even eat each other!

In order to eradicate these insects, we performed a perimeter treatment around the exterior foundation of the home as well as an indoor  treatment using granular bait and glue boards.  We also recommended to the homeowner that she purchase a good commercial-grade dehumidifier for her basement to keep down indoor humidity levels. By keeping your basement dry, you remove the conditions for mold to form, improve the air quality of your home, and make the area much less inviting for insects and other pests. Dehumidification is the most important long-term preventative step a homeowner can take to stop mold in its tracks and to keep your basement or crawl space from becoming a breeding ground for all types of pests.