How to Get Rid of Camel Crickets
Camel crickets, or cave crickets, are a species of cricket often found inside homes, sheds, garages and basements. The insects seek out damp areas and are especially plentiful during the summer months. Camel crickets are typically between ½ inch to 1½ inches in length and have a humpbacked appearance. Unlike field crickets, camel crickets do not chirp, and you will not know they are inside your home until you actually see them or their fecal droppings. Camel crickets are not dangerous, but their droppings are undesirable, and they will eat garments or clothing if trapped inside a building with no food supply. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Caulking material
- Caulking gun
- Weather stripping
- Dehumidifier
- Sticky traps
- Insecticide spray
Instructions
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Walk around the exterior of your home, shed and garage and fill in the holes and cracks with silicone caulking material. Camel crickets will slip into your home through such openings, and the caulking material will prevent them from doing do. Silicone caulking will also keep out moisture.
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2
Install weather stripping material around the bottom of the baseboards of your home and your garage door. Weather stripping will prevent the camel crickets from slipping under the cracks of your baseboards and underneath your garage door.
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3
Use a dehumidifier in any areas where you have previously found camel crickets. The crickets actively seek out moist areas, so drying out the rooms makes the crickets less likely to enter.
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Place sticky traps in any areas where you discovered camel crickets. Set the traps in corners of rooms and behind appliances. Check the traps daily for caught crickets. Dispose of the old traps and replace with new ones frequently.
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Keep any mulch at least 12 inches away from the base of your home. Camel crickets are attracted to the moisture that the mulch provides, and are more likely to enter your home if the mulch is too close to it.
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Spray the outside of your home with an insecticide labeled for camel cricket use. Spray the insecticide along the entire perimeter of the foundation of your home, garage and shed and anywhere else you have encountered camel crickets.
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