Camel Crickets are hump backed crickets with a translucent brown body and long spider like legs and antennae. They are commonly found on basement walls and behind boxes and furniture in dark damp spaces. Like most crickets they will feed on any fabric or paper they come in contact with. Over the counter insecticides are effective in temporarily reducing the cricket population, but proper preventative measures are the best way of eliminating camel crickets in the basement and your home altogether.
Step 1: Seal gaps and cracks around basement windows, as well as the foundation of your home with caulk, spray foam insulation
Step 2: Eliminate cardboard boxes and paper in your basement. Store books and magazines in airtight plastic totes.
Step 3: Eliminate dark damp spaces in the basement by placing boxes and other items up off the floor and pulling furniture and storage shelves away from the walls.
Step 4: Reduce moisture as much as possible. Now may be a good time to invest in a dehumidifier
Step 5: Avoid putting shrubs, ground cover or stacks of firewood near the foundation of your home. Camel crickets are especially fond of English ivy and breed in it and other thick ground covers.
Step 6: Eliminate existing crickets by placing glue traps under storage shelves and behind furniture in the basement. To further control the existing cricket population, sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of your home and in crawl spaces.
Following these simple steps should help to eliminate unwanted pests in your home and make your basement just a little less creepy.
Camel Crickets, also called cave crickets, spider crickets or humpback crickets live in dark damp spaces and feed off of leaf debris, paper and fabric.
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