PK-H05 · Household invaders
How to get rid of Camel crickets
Rhaphidophoridae
Camel crickets are humpbacked, long-legged, and silent. They explode from a crawlspace when you open the hatch. They need moisture. Dry the crawlspace, vapor barrier as designed, exclusion, and sticky traps along walls. They are not spiders (no venomous bite story) and they are not house crickets (no chirp). People panic because they jump at faces. Habitat is the fix.
How to identify Camel cricket
- Humped back, very long legs and antennae, brown, no song.
- In dark damp voids, not typically a sunny kitchen.
Signs of an infestation
- Dozens in a crawlspace.
- Jumping when lights hit a basement corner.
Biology and why they show up
Humidity lovers. Omnivores on organic debris. Outdoor relatives live in wells and caves.
Health and property risk
Startle. Minor. Indicate a moisture problem worth fixing for termites too.
Proven control sequence
Work in this order. Skipping inspection or exclusion is why most “treatments” bounce back in a week.
- Dry the crawlspace. See moisture-control. This is a termite-adjacent repair.
- Glue boards along walls (invertebrate). Keep pets off them. Not for vertebrates.
- Seal the hatch and foundation vents as designed. Do not create a moisture trap by sealing a wet crawl incorrectly.
Matching tools for these steps can be bought on Amazon. Buy the field kit.
Tools for camel crickets in basements
Moisture first. Dry the corner they bounce from. Monitors show whether the next rain still hatches a crowd.
As an Amazon Associate, Pest Kill earns from qualifying purchases. The EPA label is the law for any pesticide. These links match the sequence on this page — they are not a shopping list instead of identification. Details: advertising disclosure. Browse the full tools catalog.
Hardware
Pin-type wood moisture meter
Damp wood is carpenter-ant and termite language. A meter tells you if the sill, shower wall, or fascia is actually wet before you buy a spray. Wet still needs a building fix.
Hardware
Sticky cockroach / insect monitors
Monitors tell you if the next cabinet or the next apartment is feeding yours. They are not control by themselves. Place them on the floor at harborages, not in the middle of a clean counter.
Prevention that actually sticks
- Keep stored cardboard off damp floors.
- Fix grading.
When to hire a licensed professional
When moisture needs a contractor. Pest spray alone bounces.
United States and Tier 1 notes
Eastern and Midwestern crawlspaces especially. Similar cave crickets worldwide.
Common questions
Do they bite like spiders?
They are crickets. The panic is the jump. Fix humidity.