We're a Hop, Skip and a Jump Away
It starts as one little cricket in the kitchen. You take care of business—only to find three others in your living room the next day. This is when you know you’ve got a bigger problem on your hands.
Cave crickets are a common nuisance in New Jersey. One reason is because so many NJ homes have basements and crawl spaces. These areas offer the cool, dark and humid environments that cave crickets love. But as annoying as these critters are, this type of infestation is entirely treatable. All it takes is the proper treatment plan (provided by yours truly) and ongoing preventive measures to protect your home from these leaping invaders.
Profiling the Cave Cricket
Cave crickets are not your average Jiminy Cricket. Sometimes referred to as “camel crickets,” “camelback crickets,” or simply “hoppy things,” cave crickets have a unique “humped” appearance (hence the camel association). They are typically light brown to dark brown and sometimes have dark spots on their bodies. You’ll notice that unlike field crickets, cave crickets do not chirp. They’re still a pest by every definition in the book—but thankfully, they’re a quieter one.
Cave cricket problems tend to occur during the fall and spring. Though they’re not poisonous or harmful to humans or pets, they will gnaw away at clothing, fabrics and curtains. Their only defense mechanism is to jump, which you’ll notice they do a whole lot when you’re trying to catch them. Unfortunately, if you notice just one or two cave crickets in your home, it probably means there are many more elsewhere in the garage, basement, crawl space, attic etc.
What Causes a Cave Cricket Infestation?
As mentioned previously, cave crickets gravitate toward cool, dark and humid environments. If you start to see cave crickets in your living space, the first place to check is your garage, basement or crawl space if you have one. This is especially true if the basement is unfinished or the crawl space lacks any sort of protective barrier along the walls and the floor.
Cave crickets can also breed under stones, mulch, wood piles and debris around the home. Anywhere that’s cool, dark and humid is a cave cricket’s paradise.
Besides seeing the culprits themselves, a telltale sign of a cave cricket infestation is dark brown spots on sheetrock, block walls and poured concrete walls. (Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.) These marks are the dark droppings left behind by cave crickets. But there’s no need to panic—it’s nothing that a little soapy water and our residential pest control can’t fix!
How We Crack the Case
There are a few key strategies for treating a cave cricket infestation:
First and foremost, we’ll assess the area and seal up any potential entry points. Cave crickets commonly enter the home through garages, cracks in the foundation, non-sealed pipes that enter the home and any tiny holes underneath the home’s siding.
We’ll identify the entry point(s) and seal them up to prevent future infestations.
We’ll then treat the infested area(s) to eliminate the crickets that are already in the home. At Bustabug, our treatment is EPA-approved. It’s completely safe for humans and pets and fully safe to use in residential kitchens and food facilities.
Once the initial treatment is complete, we’ll follow up every three months (or more frequently, if the infestation was severe) to ensure no cave crickets have returned. If they have, we’ll re-treat the area until the infestation is fully eliminated. Cave crickets are rapid breeders, so it may take more than one treatment to eliminate all of them. But rest assured that once we’re on the case, we’ll keep working until these critters are gone for good!
If the infestation was traced to a damp basement or crawl space, we might also recommend installing a dehumidifier to keep the area drier and less conducive to pest infestations. Controlling the moisture not only reduces your chances for facing another infestation, but it also helps protect your home from mold growth. Mold is an entirely different issue, but it’s important to know that mold spores travel through the air. So if there’s mold in your basement or crawl space, you’re inevitably breathing in that mold in your living room, kitchen and everywhere throughout your home. Another more permanent solution is to finish the basement or encapsulate the crawl space. A waterproofing or foundation repair company can install a vapor barrier along the floor and walls to keep the crawl space dry and pest-free.
Additional Tips for Preventing Future Infestations
Clean up any debris/clutter around the house (tall grass and piles of wood, stone, mulch, leaves, etc.).
Store garbage cans far enough away from the home (cave crickets like to live inside/underneath garbage cans).
Install screens on the windows in your basement or crawl space.
If necessary, use a dehumidifier to reduce your home’s humidity levels.
Bustabug Has Your Back
Have those unwanted cave crickets made themselves at home? We’ll help you turn the tables and make your home pest-free, as it always should be.
To request a free estimate for your NJ home or business, contact us online or call Bustabug Pest Control at 973.919.1279.
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