Getting rid of Cave crickets?

Question

http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4TH/KKHP/1insects/bugpix/camelcricCU.JPEG

They're everywhere in my basement and in my shed. And I'm afraid of them. Is there a good way to get rid of them? I can't use poison due to other animals in the house. I've tried molasses, but that killed about 10. I'm willing to try anything. My skin needs to stop crawling! Thanks.

Answer 1

Crickets can be real pests, especially because the chirping can get irritating. Crickets also cause damage to plants, seeds of grain crop, stored tubers and fruits, and baler twine.

When they enter the house, they can damage clothing, furniture upholstery, draperies etc. since they are very fond of cotton, silk, wool and even rayon and nylon.

They also eat paper products. Crickets can be controlled by using insecticides like bendiocarb (Ficam D), chlorpyrifos (Dursban, Duration, Empire, Engage), diatomaceous earth (Answer), propoxur (Baygon), diazinon, pyrethrins, or resmethrin.

Drione or Boric Acid and other dust products can be used to treat wall voids and crawl spaces. Granular bait like Larvalur or Niban can also be used both indoor and outdoor.

Some common outdoor insecticides that can be used are; cyfluthrin (Tempo), cypermethrin (Demon, Cynoff, Cyper-Active), Ficam W or Plus, propetamphos (Safrotin) lambdacyhalothrin (Commadore), or permethrin (Dragnet, Flee).

To keep mole crickets from entering the house avoid use of bright lights outside since crickets are attracted to bright lights; seal any cracks in the around doors, windows and in the walls and floors; keep the area in and around the house dry and clean since mole crickets prefer moist environments; ensure that low-growing vegetation is planted at least 12 inches away from the house; sprinkle cricket baits available in the market; sticky traps can be used to trap crickets, which can then be flushed down the toilet or destroyed; take the help of a good pest control company if the problem with crickets is too unmanageable.

Hope that helps!!!!!

Answer 2

I agree w/ you that these crickets are creepy and very pesky. We call them camel crickets because of their humped backs.

My wife got an exterminator in - they charged us a lot of money, sprayed once a quarter for a year, and basically it did no good.

I have had better luck using the pesticide aerosol bombs in my garage (which is the where the crickets come in from outside and from where they infest the rest of the basement). I can exclude pets from the garage while I set off the bomb (available at hardware store) and for a while afterward.

Boric acid (sometimes available in drug stores) might also work. It's not a chemical pesticide that kills because of toxicity, it is a mechanical pesticide because it's crystals puncture the breathing tubes and interior tracts of insects. So boric acid is much safer to use with pets or children around. Likewise diatomaceous earth.

Oh yeah, we also run a dehumidifier in the basement during the summer to make the place less hospitable for crickets. That might help you

Finally, creepy though the crickets are, they don't bite. Aside from being a mess, I've never seen any terrible damage to fabrics. But yes, they are *awful*.

Answer 3

Camel crickets love damp locations such as a basement. Our house is over a crawl space and those buggers live there. They were coming up into the house through a couple of openings where the floor met the wall. They are hard to kill without the correct chemical. I plugged the holes. Perhaps if you install a dehumidifier in the basement it will cause them to leave in search of other digs.

Answer 4

Buy a bunch of tarantulas and set them loose in the basement :-) Just kidding (it would work, though). Roach motels might work; they don't use poison. You'll have to experiment, though, since crickets have longer legs and may be able to escape.

Answer 5

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