How do you get rid of cave crickets??!!

Anonymous
We have a 3 level townhouse, the bottom level being a finished basement and we've been fighting with cave crickets all summer. They're SO big and gross! We're catching them one by one but other than sealing things up and trying to keep things dry, has anyone found anything that deters them?

TIA!
Anonymous
Borrow a cat? Mine loves 'em.
Anonymous
How long have you lived there? Do you spend a lot of time in the basement? We had them all over our lower level when we moved into our house. And I mean all over. It was GROSS! They thrive in dark places without much activity, which made sense why they were all over our house when we moved in. They slowly went away. We still have some of those sticky traps around and see them in there every so often, but it is nothing like it was for us last year. All I can say is that if you recently moved in or only recently started using the basement, the should eventually go away. And if you don't use the basement a lot, go down there a few times a day and turn the lights on.
Anonymous
Call an exterminator. We've had them, too, and I find them to be some of the nastiest things -- they'll jump right at you when you try to catch/kill them. My cats love them, but I really didn't want to wait around for the cats to find them (before my 2 year old does). We're now on a system where they spray 4 times a year plus any other time we ask. If we start to see evidence of more cave crickets, we ask for another spray (usually just around the perimeter of the house, outside).
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Call an exterminator. We've had them, too, and I find them to be some of the nastiest things -- they'll jump right at you when you try to catch/kill them. My cats love them, but I really didn't want to wait around for the cats to find them (before my 2 year old does). We're now on a system where they spray 4 times a year plus any other time we ask. If we start to see evidence of more cave crickets, we ask for another spray (usually just around the perimeter of the house, outside).


We used an exterminator as well and got rid of them, but it took a while. They supposedly jump at you because they are blind or have bad vision and will "attack" whatever they sense is near them by lunging at it. LOL! Good luck with that, little cricket!
Anonymous
Leave the lights on in the basement until they're gone, if feasible. Cave crickets like dark, moist places. Also try using a dehumidifier. We did that and it made a big difference (the dehumidifier that is).
Anonymous
Thanks! I definitely notice them more at night so I'll leave some lights on - we've been debating on getting a dehumidifier and I think you just made my mind up. We have this ghetto system where we use a tupperwear top to trap them and then slide the lid underneath and flush them. And by 'we' I mean by DH

Anonymous
another vote for the dehumidifier - it makes a huge difference!
Anonymous
The glue traps work pretty well, although of course I won't go anywhere near those (thanks, DH, for taking care of them). Definitely the dehumidifier. And check around for any little holes where they might be getting in, and seal those up. They don't have to be big, apparently those little f-ers can squish themselves up and get in through really small openings.

Pardon the language. I hate them too, and even though we have 2 cricket-exterminating cats, we're still going to start getting the outside of our house sprayed this year.
Anonymous
Is this cricket the same one from Pinochio? Why are they gross? Do they transmite diseases or something like that?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Is this cricket the same one from Pinochio? Why are they gross? Do they transmite diseases or something like that?


Proof that you can't post a damn think on this site without some backlash. LOL, with a tear, but LOL.
Anonymous
ugh i hate those things. i had an infestation before and couldn't get rid of them.

use a dehumidifier, spray the perimeter of your house if you don't want pesticides inside, and get rid of all debris because supposedly they like decaying matter. but apparently they can live for a long time wtihout food too, so i would go strong on the pesticides personally.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Is this cricket the same one from Pinochio? Why are they gross? Do they transmite diseases or something like that?


There's not a lot of resemblance to Jimminy Cricket. These really are especially large, particularly nasty lookin' bugs. I've only seen one in the flesh (and their hind legs are in fact big enough to be a little fleshy-looking) once. They're not a big problem in the District where I live, but I did see one outside a couple of years ago just after we had landscaping done by a MD nursery. I remember that one as being as large as my fist, all hind legs, slimy humped abdomen, and tentacles included. If these were coming into my home regularly, I'd take action, too.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Is this cricket the same one from Pinochio? Why are they gross? Do they transmite diseases or something like that?


You might be cool with leaving with large bugs that jump from floor to ceiling. I however, am not.
Anonymous
We have them too! Scared the crap out of me when we first moved in; now I've gotten fairly desensitized except when they jump at me. DH has gotten pretty good at killing them with a rolled-up magazine, but I'm happy to hear that cats like them, because we were planning to get kittens in a few months .... of course, whether the kittens will go into the cold basement is questionnable, but at least they ought to get the ones that come up to the kitchen!
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