Cave Cricket Facts & Information

What You Can Do

Your Orkin Pro will offer advice on how to get rid of cave crickets. Homeowners should fix poor ventilation and maintain lawns to avoid cave cricket problems. For existing cricket infestations, it is important to locate and eliminate all possible breeding conditions. Piles of damp wood or leaves in or surrounding the structure should be removed. The basement or crawlspace should be kept ventilated and dry. Placing screens on crawlspace vents and basement windows can also help to keep these crickets out.

What Orkin Does

Your local Orkin Pro is trained to help get rid of cave crickets and similar pests. Since every building or home is different, your Orkin Pro will design a unique cricket treatment program for your situation.

Orkin can provide the right solution to keep cave crickets in their place…out of your home, or business.

What do cave crickets look like?

• Size: Their bodies, not including legs, can measure up to 5 cm in length in some species.

• Color: Cave crickets are brown in color. Sand treader cave crickets are pale in comparison to other species.

• Legs: They have large hind legs and a set of long antennae, which serve as guides through their darkened environments. Their long limbs enable them to jump high and far.

• Body: Their bodies are bent forward and appear to be humped at the back, which is why they are sometimes called camel crickets (they are also referred to as spider crickets). They do not have wings.

Where do cave crickets live?

As their name implies, these crickets are commonly found in caves, although some species also dwell in other cool, damp areas such as beneath:

• Damp leaves

• Rotten logs

• Stones

Other species require highly specialized environments. Sand Treader cave crickets are found only in sand dunes, where they burrow by day and are active at night.

What do cave crickets eat?

Many cave cricket species live without sufficient food sources. Their diet can include:

• Animal products

• Fabrics

• Plants

Cave Crickets vs. Camel Cricket vs. Spider Crickets

What is a Cave Cricket?

The cricket family Rhaphidophoridae contains several species of crickets, many of which people refer to with just a few names. Some commonly used names include camel crickets, cave crickets, and spider crickets.

Camel Cricket vs Spider Cricket

Camel crickets are also referred to as spider crickets. These hump-backed insects don’t chirp, are nocturnal, and have long legs that resemble spiders. So, therefore, their name is interchangeable.

Cave Cricket vs Camel Cricket

There is no difference between cave crickets and camel crickets. These names are interchangeable and refer to either the insect’s hump-backed appearance or its preferred place to live.

Are Cave Crickets Dangerous?

A cave cricket, also known as a camel cricket or a spider cricket, is quite a nuisance. Although spider crickets are not a direct threat to humans, they can create unbearable noise and cause significant damage to your home. These crickets that look like spiders thrive in dark conditions such as basements and crawl spaces, and may also host other pests such as cockroaches and bed bugs.

Are Camel Crickets Harmful?

While cave crickets do have the ability to bite humans, they are mostly known for eating holes through clothing and other household fabrics such as curtains when food sources are scarce.

Are Camel Crickets Poisonous?

These crickets are not venomous and are not known to carry any diseases. Similar to other common household pests, these crickets avoid humans.

If you’re experiencing a pest or cricket infestation, you should immediately contact your local pest control management professional for an inspection. Orkin Pros are trained to address any current spider cricket infestation, as well as implement solutions to help prevent future issues. Through a specialized approach to pest control, Orkin can help protect your home with a plan suited to your specific needs.

To learn more about how to get rid of crickets and protect your home, contact your local Orkin branch.