The camel crickets are a moderately common group of insects. They are also known as cave crickets, a name descriptive of their natural habitat. Like all crickets, the camel crickets have very large hind legs and long antennae. They are brownish in color and humpbacked in appearance. They are wingless and up to one inch long.
As the name implies, cave crickets are found in caves. However, they live in other cool, damp situations such as in wells, rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards and logs.
Camel crickets are of little economic importance except as a nuisance in buildings and homes, especially basements. They are usually "accidental invaders" that wander in by mistake from adjacent areas. They generally do not reproduce indoors, except in situations that provide continuous dark, moist conditions.
Control efforts for camel crickets should include (as much as is practical) eliminating breeding and hiding sites outdoors around the house or building. Piles of bricks, stones, boards, leaves, etc., should be removed. Also, cracks and gaps in foundation or siding or around windows and doors should be sealed. Spraying a residual barrier of diazinon, Dursban or Sevin insecticide around the outside of the house may be of benefit if you apply sufficient spray to reach breeding sites. Treating indoor floor areas where camel crickets hide during the day is a last resort of limited benefit. The same residual insecticides used for ants and cockroaches can be used ("Home Pest Control", "ant and roach killer" or something similar). Occasional, individual crickets can be picked or swept up and discarded.
