Does anyone else have crickets in their basement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Uh, lice and bed bugs are harmless too, but that doesn't mean I want them in my hair or in my home. And that's the same with camel crickets. In DC, many of us have finished basements, and we don't want bugs in them, especially if we have young children.

OP, you need to find out how they're getting into you house. Seal up any gaps around doors, pipes, and windows. That's what we did, and we haven't seen a cricket in our basement for at least a year. We didn't need to use any pesticides.

Also, if the crickets are getting in, other bugs and potentially mice could get in too. So it's worthwhile to seal everything up. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We have them too (Bethesda). DH kills them with a rolled-up newspaper. I can never seem to catch the big ones. We used to see 2-3 a day, mainly in the laundry area but sometimes they'd come up the stairs. We started putting out traps and now we see maybe 1 every couple weeks, and we don't bother to kill it because it will likely find its way to the trap eventually. Occasionally I will find one in the kitchen - we think it comes through a hole behind the stove - so that I will kill. Glad to hear cats help as we will likely get kittens in a year or so. We keep extra packaged food and clothing in the basement (no pantry, tiny closets) but so far the crickets have not done anything to them.

Interestingly, for the first time this year we had regular crickets along with the cave crickets ... just for a few weeks, but they sang and were very annoying. On the last evening they seemed to be in the walls, which worried us, but the night was cold and they must have frozen because we never heard them again.

[Anonymous]

We have them - we haven't used our dehumifidier this year so thanks for that tip.

Sadly, we have a cat, but he is the sweetest cat in the world and I swear he makes friends with the creepy crickets and doesn't kill them. Sometimes he may accidently kill them by playing with them but otherwise we are on our own.

I've gotten to where I just ignore them. I just can't deal and I figure - the winter will kill them off right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Uh, lice and bed bugs are harmless too, but that doesn't mean I want them in my hair or in my home. And that's the same with camel crickets. In DC, many of us have finished basements, and we don't want bugs in them, especially if we have young children.

OP, you need to find out how they're getting into you house. Seal up any gaps around doors, pipes, and windows. That's what we did, and we haven't seen a cricket in our basement for at least a year. We didn't need to use any pesticides.

Also, if the crickets are getting in, other bugs and potentially mice could get in too. So it's worthwhile to seal everything up. Good luck!

I'm the PP you quoted. Crickets, unlike lice and bed bugs, do not suck on human blood. BIG DIFFERENCE.

[Anonymous]

dehumidifier has helped us. We also keep a light on in the utility room, which seems to help, too.

Once a cricket jumped out from under our dog's dishes and scared him so badly he didn't eat for a few days. We had to take his dishes off the stand and put them on the floor before he'd eat again. So they are creepy and startling to animals, too.

[Anonymous]

My cat loves them. He is a scaredy-cat most of the time, but for some reason he loves to pounce on crickets.

[Anonymous]

We use the Ortho Home Defense product which is 0.05% Bifenthrin ( a pyrethrin derivative, i.e.. from chrysanthemums). DH sprays outside along the foundation and at the cracks in the soffit and once a year in the utility room and under the sink. The cave crickets (and stink bugs) are still getting in, but they're a lot slower or dead. Still trying to find all the entry points to plug up.

Apparently, Bifentrin is also the longest lasting anti-termite product as well. If you have a pest control company, likely as not this is what they are spraying.

[Anonymous]

Bifenthrin is "moderately toxic" to mammals. I can see why you'd use it for termites--because your house might eventually collapse--but why for harmless crickets???

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/24d-captan/bifenthrin-ext.html

[Anonymous]

I also am quite afraid of them, BUT I am more afraid of spraying chemicals for something that isn't biting humans. Use a humidifier, get a cat, and plug any holes that you can. 5 years ago we had to get the house sprayed b/c of carpenter ants. We had to spray b/c there was an inside infestation, but we are preventing further infestations by trimming back trees. Where the spraying was done, the occasional stray insect that we see dies - FIVE YEARS AFTER THE SPRAYING WAS DONE - that tells you how powerful those poisons are - don't do it unless absolutely necessary!!

[Anonymous]

I've always had them in my basement for the 11 years I've lived in my house. They've never been such a problem that I've bothered calling an exterminator. We have sort of an agreement. If they stay in the basement, I let them live. If they try to come up to the main floor, I throw shoes at them or chase them with a broom until they're either dead or they've gone back to the basement. This system works ok for me. Crickets totally freak me out, but if they don't get too close, I can live with them.

During the recent really rainy time, I had an explosion of bugs in the basement - not just the usual big brown (cave? spider? camel?) crickets, but also the smaller black ones, and even a couple of centipedes. It was like a discovery channel special down there. i didn't go in the basement much for awhile.

[Anonymous]

We have them--tons of them. I put down sticky traps, which you can find in Strosniders and probably Home Depot.

An exterminator evaluated this problem and said they could spray every 3-4 months or so, but we haven't done that yet.

They are bizarre!! My husband grew up on Long Island and I grew up in Indiana and neither one of us had these creatures jumping around our childhood homes!

Good LUck!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP, you need to find out how they're getting into you house. Seal up any gaps around doors, pipes, and windows. That's what we did, and we haven't seen a cricket in our basement for at least a year. We didn't need to use any pesticides.

Also, if the crickets are getting in, other bugs and potentially mice could get in too. So it's worthwhile to seal everything up. Good luck!

Not the OP, but what do you use to seal up gaps? I am one of the PPs with crickets and I'd love to find a way to keep them OUTSIDE!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP, you need to find out how they're getting into you house. Seal up any gaps around doors, pipes, and windows. That's what we did, and we haven't seen a cricket in our basement for at least a year. We didn't need to use any pesticides.

Also, if the crickets are getting in, other bugs and potentially mice could get in too. So it's worthwhile to seal everything up. Good luck!

[reposting because I messed up the quote]
Not the OP, but what do you use to seal up gaps? I am one of the PPs with crickets and I'd love to find a way to keep them OUTSIDE!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP, you need to find out how they're getting into you house. Seal up any gaps around doors, pipes, and windows. That's what we did, and we haven't seen a cricket in our basement for at least a year. We didn't need to use any pesticides.

Also, if the crickets are getting in, other bugs and potentially mice could get in too. So it's worthwhile to seal everything up. Good luck!

[reposting because I messed up the quote]
Not the OP, but what do you use to seal up gaps? I am one of the PPs with crickets and I'd love to find a way to keep them OUTSIDE!

We hired someone to do it but here's basically what they did (cut and pasted from the web). Good luck! They're disgusting - I'm so glad they're gone.

Non-chemical control methods
Although pesticides can help reduce the nuisance problems with camel crickets, they are not a long-term solution. Effective control starts with eliminating harborage sites, reducing conditions that are conducive or attractive to these pests and by excluding these insects from our homes:

Caulk or seal gaps and openings around windows frames, doors, foundation and clothes dryer vents, crawlspace access doors (picture at right), soffits, as well as where heating/AC and plumbing lines pass through the foundation.

Install weather-stripping along the bottom of house and garage doors so that it fits tightly against the threshold.

Stack boxes and other items off of the ground and away from the walls in a garage or storage building. This helps improve airflow and makes it easier to check for crickets and other pests, including termites.

Reduce moisture indoors, as well as in other critical areas such as basements or crawlspaces.

Keep ground cover and mulch at least 12 inches or more away from the foundation. When possible, use an inorganic cover such as gravel up near the foundation.

Keep ground cover and shrubs away from the foundation and siding. Do not stack firewood against the house. Remove piles of lumber or other clutter under decks that might attract crickets and other pests.

Place sticky boards, such as those used for cockroaches and mice, in corners and behind appliances to catch crickets that enter your home.

[Anonymous]

15:14 here - thank you 16:10!