Camel Crickets

If you’ve never gone under a house (something that everyone ought to experience at least once), it’s possible that you’ve never even seen this pest, though there could be thousands of them in your neighborhood. Commonly known as “those weird jumping spiders” or “crazy-looking crickets,” camel crickets tend to freak people out, even though they do little more than hop around.

Camel crickets are also known as camelback crickets, hump-backed crickets, or spider crickets. They range in color from light to dark brown, and are easily identified by their humped backs, long antennae, and long, thin legs. From 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long, camel crickets are typically found in crawlspaces, basements, and garages.

Infestations often go unnoticed, because adult camel crickets have no wings and therefore do not chirp like their relatives, field and house crickets. They cannot bite or sting, but they’ll occasionally damage fabrics when their preferred food (decaying organic matter) becomes scarce.

It’s no accident that they tend to inhabit crawlspaces, basements, and garages. Camel crickets prefer cool, damp areas, so their presence in a crawlspace isn’t a good sign; there could be a moisture problem that is attracting them.

Camel crickets are covered by our Premium Protection Plan, but for long-term control, you might want to consider our moisture elimination services. Installing a dehumidifier or sump pump, or removing a leaky refrigerator, might solve the problem, while preventing numerous other problems.

Published: July 17, 2013