Cave vs Camel vs Spider Cricket
Spider crickets, cave crickets, camel crickets… whatever you want to call them, they are the same species. The cricket has come across these different nicknames for quite obvious reasons. They’re called spider crickets, or sprickets, due to their spider-like legs and appearance. Camel cricket is a common name due to the humps of their backs. Lastly, they are referred to as cave crickets because you guessed it, they are commonly found in caves.
The sprickets are light to dark brown in color, and the adult ones are approximately half an inch to one and a half inches long. Some of these crickets have bands on their six legs. The legs are bent to help them jump far easily. Spider crickets are commonly found in high-moisture and hidden areas such as garages, basements, beneath wood piles as well as crawl places in or near your home. You are also likely to see them in hollow trees and fallen logs.
Greenhouse Camel Cricket – Diestrammena asynamora. By Judy Gallagher – CC BY 2.0,
Spider crickets are relatively harmless to humans and pets because they don’t bite. However, they can be a serious nuisance as they cause damages on items such as clothes, contaminate food and also due to their scary look. Regardless, if these crickets are infesting your home or garage, you need to get rid of them.
How to get rid of spider crickets
Spider cricket (spricket)
No one would wish to share their homes with creepy insects such as spider crickets. However, for one reason or another, you may find them hiding somewhere in your room. In case that happens, there are several options you can apply to keep these insects at bay. They include:
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Get rid of conducive conditions
As earlier mentioned, crickets are attracted to areas with high moisture levels, litter, high grass or shades. Getting rid of these conditions at your place will discourage them to come in and will also get rid of any existing ones. Ensure that areas that are prone to dampness, for instance in your garage, laundry area, and bathrooms are kept dry and fresh.
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Sticky Traps
You can lay some sticky traps on the areas where spider crickets are concentrated in your home or commercial premises. Once the insects step on the trap, they’ll get stuck to it and eventually die.
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The use of appropriate insecticide
Although you can get a cricket-eradicating insecticide from a local hardware or grocery store and apply it to areas infested by camel crickets, it is not advisable to use it by yourself if you have small kids or pets at the affected area.
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Seal cracks and crevices
Ban spider crickets from getting into your home or business by sealing all the cracks and crevices that these pests can use to enter. Professional help might be needed.
Camel Cricket
How Long Do Crickets Live?
The life expectancy of cricket depends on numerous variables such as species and the location. The number of predators where the crickets live, climate and nature are also other factors in the life expectancy of crickets. In areas where there are many predators, the life expectancy ranges from a few weeks to months, more than one year in warm areas and up to half a year in areas with definite season changes. Crickets can stay for up to two years if they remain indoors and enjoy perfect living conditions.
Cave Cricket
Conclusion
You can get rid of cave, camel or spider crickets by eliminating the conditions attracting them to your home or commercial area. For instance, light and dampness, long grasses, garbage, wood, or stone piles or even high moisture levels. You can also kill the existing spider crickets by use of sticky traps or the appropriate insecticide.
More cricket facts
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