Do you have cave crickets at home? Many Americans have cave crickets in their basement, so you are not alone, but there are many different methods that you can use to get rid of them. What are the best methods to get rid of cave crickets?
How to get rid of cave crickets? To get rid of cave crickets, make DIY traps and remove all the moisture from your rooms. Making your home unappealing for them will drive cave crickets away. They love moist places, which makes your basement and bathroom the main places where they live. Cave crickets usually come inside when it’s hot out.
If your home has cave crickets, make sure to continue reading, as this article includes all the best methods for getting these nasty insects out of your house. Let’s begin!
What Is a Cave Cricket?
A cave cricket is an “accidental invader,” meaning they enter your home by mistake. As their name implies, these insects usually make their home in caves, but a moist basement can provide the same damp, dark conditions the cave cricket loves. They also can be found under leaves and logs outside.
What Do Cave Crickets Look Like?
Most of these insects come in varying shades of brown, but you can also find a black cave cricket indoors. These bugs will usually be spotted with darker spots of brown and have large hind legs and resemble a mix of a spider and cricket, although they are technically only cricket.
Due to their spider-like appearance, many people confuse them with species of jumping spiders.
Do Cave Crickets Bite?
These insects don’t have fangs, so they actually can’t bite you, but they do have mandibles, which allow them to “gnaw” on your skin. Many people have described this feeling as a stinging sensation.
While they technically can’t bite you, the crickets are still very unpleasant to have at home, as they will chew through your carpet, furniture, curtains, and clothing if left unchecked. They also tend to jump towards you, making many people afraid of them.
What Do Cave Crickets Eat?
Cave crickets are scavengers, so they tend to eat just about anything. They will attack other bugs and even eat members of their species and feed on dead insects when there are no alternatives.
When they are in your home, the cave cricket will eat cardboard, paper, furniture, fabrics, clothing, curtains, carpeting, and more, and can cause a lot of destruction when an infestation occurs, so you will want to get them out as soon as possible.
Where Do Cave Crickets Live?
The cave cricket habitat is naturally outdoors in moist areas, including under rocks, leaves, woodpiles, and other wet debris, such as tall grasses and caves. In short, they live anywhere that is damp and dark.
Are Cave Crickets Dangerous?
Many people wonder if cave crickets are poisonous or harmful, but since they don’t have fangs or stingers, they are not dangerous. However, that doesn’t make them any less of a nuisance to people, as they will destroy your belongings unless you do your best to remove them immediately.
Cave Cricket Infestation
A cave cricket infestation can happen to anyone, but having these insects in your home doesn’t mean your living space is dirty. You can remove them once you understand what was attracting them in the first place.
Why Are Cave Crickets in My House?
Cave crickets come inside when the conditions aren’t suitable outdoors. For instance, droughts and hot weather can cause them to go into your home, so they seek basements, bathrooms, and crawl spaces for moisture.
However, excessive amounts of rain can also cause them to invade your home. If their natural habitat floods, they will seek out a new place to live, and if your home happens to be nearby, they will come in.
What Attracts Cave Crickets?
These insects are attracted to locations that are humid and moist. They also like the dark, and they use their antennae to get around without seeing. Food will also attract them.
You want to keep cardboard out of your basement, as this can attract them. If you notice these crickets are starting to come inside, make sure you add a high-quality dehumidifier to those rooms, as the lack of moisture in the air repels the crickets.
If you have a large basement, you’ll want to use the TECCPO Dehumidifier, as it’s powerful, compact, and comes with plenty of timer features. If you don’t go in the basement often, this will be a significant benefit for you.
- High Efficiency - TAD30B can remove 30 Pints （50 pint 2012 DOE...
- AI Dehumidification - With accurate temperature sensors and...
- Hybrid 2 in 1 Drain Modes - Manual Drain, when the 3.8L water...
- Compact & Portable Dehumidifier For Home - This dehumidifier is...
- Worry Free Purchase - TECCPO dehumidifier is Energy Star...
How To Kill Cave Crickets?
You can use several methods to kill cave crickets. However, hitting them with a book or fly swatter is not a good idea, as these bugs are very large and make a huge mess when hit. Instead, keep a hand vacuum around to suck them up.
The best strategy to kill cave crickets is by using a glue or tape trap. Any sticky trap should do the trick. You can buy them online, or you can make your own easily. For instance, tape traps include tape loops with bait such as cat food or cardboard.
Cave crickets get stuck when trying to get the bait, then become bait for the next cave cricket to stumble across the trap. You need to change the tape often so that it is never full, which is easy to do, and the tape is pretty cheap.
How Do You Get Rid of Cave Crickets in Specific Places?
If you have cave crickets in your shed or the house, how can you get rid of them?
How To Get Rid of Cave Crickets in Shed?
Start by cleaning up all debris around your shed, which can include logs, twigs, piles of leaves, or even stacks of firewood. You want the immediate area around your shed to be clean. Then, block off all entrances to the shed with tape or insulation.
From there, you can use cave cricket spray around the shed and place sticky traps inside of it. If it feels humid in the shed, you will want to add a small dehumidifier.
How To Get Rid of Cave Crickets in House?
Whenever you see one, make sure to suck it up with a hand vacuum, then add a dehumidifier. Doing so makes your home less attractive to these creatures, and as the moisture leaves the air, the crickets will seek out other places to live.
Place sticky traps in the areas where you see the crickets the most, and if you have a cat, they will enjoy hunting these insects.
How To Get Rid of Cave Crickets in Basement?
Start by drying the basement as much as possible and add a dehumidifier. When it feels dry, add a large bowl of water with dish soap to the middle of the room. The crickets will jump in, but they will be unable to climb out. At the same time, place plenty of traps around the basement.
How To Get Rid of Cave Crickets in Garage?
You can remove cave crickets using sticky traps here too. However, the garage usually has many small entrances to the outside. You will also want to spray bug spray around the perimeter of the room.
What Repels Cave Crickets?
Once you’ve rid your property of cave crickets, how can you keep them from coming back? Here are several ways you can keep your home and garden safe from these insects.
Cave Cricket Traps
Traps ensure that the crickets can’t settle into your home. Adding sticky traps and other DIY traps helps prevent them from moving in, as well as several excellent commercial products you can use too.
- Long Lasting - Traps crickets for weeks at a time
- Easy to Use - Simply fold the trap and insert the tab at the top...
- Discreet - Slides easily under furniture and bedding
- Versatile - For residential and commercial use
- 2 Traps - Two large traps included in each package
Cave Cricket Insecticide
Insecticide made for cave crickets works wonders at repelling them. You can try the Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for protection from these invasive insects for months. They also have traps that you can use without having to make your own.
- One application controls insects for up to 3 months (Refer to...
- Treats an average 2,000 sq. ft. home more than twice
- Apply around home's foundation
- People and pets may re-enter area after product is watered in and...
- Kills all listed home-invading insects (Refer to booklet for...
Cave Cricket Killer Spray
Finally, there are sprays you can use to kill the crickets outright, including Ortho and TERRO, which are two brands that make these products. Spray any wandering crickets you see at home, as they will be killed immediately.
- Kill 235 bugs, including ants, ticks, armyworms, mosquitoes,...
- Starts killing within minutes and provides long-lasting control
- Use on lawns, around a home's perimeter, and on ornamentals,...
- Easily apply insect spray by connecting a garden hose to the...
- Provides treatment for a 5,300 sq. ft. lawn, 1,400 sq. ft. of...
- 2 bottles included
- Kills ants and other insects on contact
- Also effective against cockroaches, silverfish, crickets,...
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- Convenient, easy-to-use aerosol spray bottle
How To Kill Cave Crickets Naturally
If you have young children or pets in your home, there are many non-chemical ways to kill cave crickets. Here are some natural methods you may want to try.
How To Kill Cave Crickets Using Home Remedies?
There are also home remedies that you can experiment with. Boric acid and honey mixtures make the perfect natural killer. Or, you can try Diatomaceous earth or cedar oil. Cedar oil emulsifies them, making it an excellent way to avoid future infestations.
This video can help you remove cave crickets naturally:
Best Natural Cave Cricket Repellent
Cave crickets hate the smell of lemons, peppermint, and cinnamon the most, so you should use cleaners based on these scents when dealing with an infestation. The smell is powerful to them, making them keep their distance.
How To Keep Cave Crickets Away?
Overall, keeping these crickets away means keeping your home dry and debris away from your foundation. If you can do that, the crickets shouldn’t enter your home when the conditions outside aren’t suitable for them anymore.
Summary
There are plenty of ways to control these insects. Making traps and using DIY remedies will significantly help interrupt the cave cricket life cycle. When you remove these invasive species consistently, you can expect to have them all out in no time at all.
List of Sources
Hahn, J., Ascerno, M., Crickets. University of Minnesota Extension.
Lewis, D., (1992). Cave Crickets. Department of Entomology, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
Rossi, C. M. (2013). Crickets: A Sense for Scents. Exploring Natural Insect Repellants. California State Science Fair.
Cave (Camel) Crickets. Cornell University.