Post by L Roebuck on Oct 13, 2006 9:52:02 GMT -5
Cave crickets - 'They look terrible'
By KELSAY HART
Morning Sun Staff Writer
"They look terrible! They have an appendage on the back of them that looks like a stinger," said Randy Coleman, owner of Alert One Pest Control.
No, he's not talking about a new type of hornet. What Coleman is referring to is the cave cricket, also known as the camel cricket or the humpback cricket.
"They have been around for years and years and years," said Steve Shepherd, exterminator for Interstate Inc. "I think what's happened is they're showing up for whatever reason and people don't know what they are."
Both Shepherd and Coleman said that cave crickets are found in the crawl spaces and basements of people's homes. Shepherd also said that they can live in hollow logs or wells.
"They normally live in caves or cool damp places like underneath the house or in the basement," Shepherd said.
Another distinctive quality that separates cave crickets from regular house crickets is that they do not chirp, Shepherd said.
Though considered a pest, cave crickets are not particularly damaging to homes.
"To my knowledge they're harmless," Coleman said. "The only damage they might cause is their droppings."
Shepherd also said that when they die, they can leave stains on rugs.
The main thing Coleman stressed when trying to get rid of cave crickets is to make sure the entire home gets treated.
"When you treat the crawl space, for instance, for crickets, it doesn't kill them immediately," Coleman said. "And so what you'll get is you'll get the crickets trying to migrate away from the materials, and then they'll start coming up inside the home."
Shepherd also said that aerosol foggers can rid the home of cave crickets, and that there are some baits the crickets will eat that eliminate them, too.
Another way to get rid of cave crickets is to spread small amounts of boric acid in the home, Shepherd said.
"Boric acid, which is one of the most widely used and best and safest insecticides, has been around for hundreds of years," Shepherd said. "Its a desicant."
Desicants are also the little packages of moisture absorbers found in everything from electronics to purses. Shepherd said that these desicants can also be crushed and used around the home to get rid of cave crickets.
"When they come in contact with it or ingest it, it will kill them," Shepherd said. "What it does is it draws moisture out of the body."
Though not likely to be a very popular treatment, Shepherd said that house centipedes are a natural predator to cave crickets, and people could throw a bunch of them under their home to help get rid of them.
So cave crickets, or house centipedes? Take your pick, though neither sound particularly appealing.
Article
By KELSAY HART
Morning Sun Staff Writer
"They look terrible! They have an appendage on the back of them that looks like a stinger," said Randy Coleman, owner of Alert One Pest Control.
No, he's not talking about a new type of hornet. What Coleman is referring to is the cave cricket, also known as the camel cricket or the humpback cricket.
"They have been around for years and years and years," said Steve Shepherd, exterminator for Interstate Inc. "I think what's happened is they're showing up for whatever reason and people don't know what they are."
Both Shepherd and Coleman said that cave crickets are found in the crawl spaces and basements of people's homes. Shepherd also said that they can live in hollow logs or wells.
"They normally live in caves or cool damp places like underneath the house or in the basement," Shepherd said.
Another distinctive quality that separates cave crickets from regular house crickets is that they do not chirp, Shepherd said.
Though considered a pest, cave crickets are not particularly damaging to homes.
"To my knowledge they're harmless," Coleman said. "The only damage they might cause is their droppings."
Shepherd also said that when they die, they can leave stains on rugs.
The main thing Coleman stressed when trying to get rid of cave crickets is to make sure the entire home gets treated.
"When you treat the crawl space, for instance, for crickets, it doesn't kill them immediately," Coleman said. "And so what you'll get is you'll get the crickets trying to migrate away from the materials, and then they'll start coming up inside the home."
Shepherd also said that aerosol foggers can rid the home of cave crickets, and that there are some baits the crickets will eat that eliminate them, too.
Another way to get rid of cave crickets is to spread small amounts of boric acid in the home, Shepherd said.
"Boric acid, which is one of the most widely used and best and safest insecticides, has been around for hundreds of years," Shepherd said. "Its a desicant."
Desicants are also the little packages of moisture absorbers found in everything from electronics to purses. Shepherd said that these desicants can also be crushed and used around the home to get rid of cave crickets.
"When they come in contact with it or ingest it, it will kill them," Shepherd said. "What it does is it draws moisture out of the body."
Though not likely to be a very popular treatment, Shepherd said that house centipedes are a natural predator to cave crickets, and people could throw a bunch of them under their home to help get rid of them.
So cave crickets, or house centipedes? Take your pick, though neither sound particularly appealing.
Article
