Does anyone else have crickets in their basement?

[Anonymous]

We cannot seem to get rid of the crickets. They are mainly in the unfinished furnace room. I put sticky traps all along the doorway and that slows them down a bit. We have never had a pest control company treat for them but I'm about ready to call one. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

I don't have any suggestions, but we have them! Our cats kill them and dismember them and leave the little legs all over our basement. We've never tried to get rid of them though because they seem harmless, although kind of gross. We have an attached garage and they love it in there and then get into our basement from there. When I go out into the garage at night and move something I can hear them jumping around.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we have some, but keeping a dehumidifier down there has significantly reduced their number. That's what a pest company advised us to do.

[Anonymous]

I live in the city and posted this last year. We had someone come in and seal all holes and gaps in our basement. It worked!

[Anonymous]

We put in a dehumidifier and had pest control come out. But after our pest control company flaked on us, DH looked up the chemicals on the internet and sprays himself (once inside the basement per year, and then every month or so outside). I've seen a total of 3 inside this year, so not too bad. Probably could be better if I'd put the sticky traps down too.

[Anonymous]

We had them, until we started using our basement more. They like damp dark places. Dehumidifier didn't really make much difference for us. Try keeping a light on down there maybe?

[Anonymous]

There is a finished apartment in the basement of our house. Yes we get them mostly in the bathroom. Maybe 20 a year but the ones we get are giant bigger than your normal cricket. Daughter lives down there she flushes them, or sucks them up in the vac...

Nothing seems to kill them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We put in a dehumidifier and had pest control come out. But after our pest control company flaked on us, DH looked up the chemicals on the internet and sprays himself (once inside the basement per year, and then every month or so outside). I've seen a total of 3 inside this year, so not too bad. Probably could be better if I'd put the sticky traps down too.

Do you mind sharing what it is you use?

We have crickets in our basement too. We have a dehumidifier, and if that helps, I'd hate to see what it would look like down there without it! Last year we had an exterminator come because they were taking over and it was becoming a terrifying thing to go down to do laundry. The exterminator had to come back 3-4 times to spray again but it did work - for last year. This year, they came back, though in greatly reduced numbers, and they seem less active than in the past. But I'd love to not see them when I go down there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We put in a dehumidifier and had pest control come out. But after our pest control company flaked on us, DH looked up the chemicals on the internet and sprays himself (once inside the basement per year, and then every month or so outside). I've seen a total of 3 inside this year, so not too bad. Probably could be better if I'd put the sticky traps down too.

Do you mind sharing what it is you use?

We have crickets in our basement too. We have a dehumidifier, and if that helps, I'd hate to see what it would look like down there without it! Last year we had an exterminator come because they were taking over and it was becoming a terrifying thing to go down to do laundry. The exterminator had to come back 3-4 times to spray again but it did work - for last year. This year, they came back, though in greatly reduced numbers, and they seem less active than in the past. But I'd love to not see them when I go down there!

I'll check and post back here tonight (DH is the one with the info and he's gone to work).

We've lived in our house for 11 years, and last year was the first time we did the pest control, so the first year I wasn't constantly freaked out every time I went downstairs. Our cats were pretty good, but they're getting old, so sometimes they wouldn't finish the job. And now, I can go downstairs any time and not be worried at all about seeing one. The only one I've seen down there this year was already cat-ified, and the only other 2 I saw I think came in through a door upstairs (solved by putting down more poison).

[Anonymous]

We have them.

They are not pests. They eat mosquitos. Yes, nothing kills them, but I don't see what the big deal is.

[Anonymous]

They're gross and freaky with the jumping and they eat through clothes. And did I mention gross? I don't have a mosquito problem in my house in winter, so if they do eat mosquitos, it's not helpful to me.

[Anonymous]

WE have them too. They are harmless. We just pick them up and flush them down the toilet. I do hate how they seem to jump TOWARD you as you approach them. Freaky little things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have them.

They are not pests. They eat mosquitos. Yes, nothing kills them, but I don't see what the big deal is.

This. We have them. I keep hoping maybe I can teach them to clean the basement. So far no luck.

[Anonymous]

We are talking about cave crickets, right?
We have them too and I HATE them. Nothing worked until my husband bought poison from Costco that is sprayed around the perimeter of the house. It has made a huge difference! The one or two we still see sometimes are slower and easy to catch. They are really attached to moisture. One time my mom spilled some club soda on the carpet and when she turned on the light two of the suckers were sitting right on the spot. Yuck!

[Anonymous]

Camel crickets are the ones you are mostly likely to spot in basements of NW DC.

They are HARMLESS. They eat decaying leaves--not clothes--which is why you see them in the fall and winter.

They like damp places, so a dehumidifier should help.

While they look scary, I think that they are less scary than spraying your basement with chemicals and potentially exposing young children to toxins.