Cave Crickets Return to Hudson Valley Basements – wpdh.com

Become a homeowner they said.

You'll LOVE it they said.

But why didn't they ever talk about all the weird, expensive, and gross things you have to deal with when you have a home...like these horrific, giant antenna toting, really disgusting bugs.

A Camel Cricket foraging in a Cave

It's time to talk cave crickets.

They're special enough to go by several names aside from cave cricket - spider cricket, camel cricket, even heard them go as greenhouse cricket. If you're lucky enough to have never come face to face with one of these monsters, consider yourself lucky.

Me...not so lucky.

Unfortunately these disgusting creatures are attracted to my unfinished basement, and have made their triumphant return to Wappingers Falls for the 2024 season.

You may remember my first encounter with the cave cricket back in 2021, when I went to check for water in my basement and instead found an infestation of these horrific bugs. I had the basement professionally treated, eventually rented a dumpster and got rid of 75% of the stuff down there, installed not one, but two dehumidifiers, and we've been golden for nearly two years....until now.

This particular bug tends to thrive off dark, damp areas, and apparently like cardboard, so at one time my very own basement was a breeding ground for the cave cricket population.

But wait, there's more, this particular type of bug doesn't see very well, so they jump AT you as a defense mechanism to avoid predators - perfect!

Last week I ran downstairs to turn on my outdoor water supply, and when I looked up into a corner of the basement, was met with a small cluster of small (ish) cave crickets. Naturally, I freaked out, ran up the stairs, out of the house, and immediately called the exterminator that treated the basement the last time to get them out here to spray.

From my distant inspection safely at the top of the stairs, I was able to see a few more of these disgusting things, long gross antennas and all, and so it's been more than a week since I have even opened the basement door, never mind gone downstairs or emptied the dehumidifiers.Though without the dehumidifiers running, all i'mdoing is creating the perfect climate to attract more of these things to join the cricket-clan in my basement.

My new best friends at Waverly Pest Control came this morning to treat the basement and said that they only saw like five of them, but sprayed and also put down sticky traps...i'm pretty sure the rest of the gang heard me on the phone confirming the pest control appointment and decided to take cover.

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Now that the treatment is done though, my next question is who wants to volunteer to go check those sticky traps and empty the dehumidifiers for me? I promise I pay well...

Am I dramatic? Yes. Do I want to have any further encounters with cave (spider, camel, greenhouse) crickets? Big no.

Here is a list of 9 bugs that even scientists agree should be killed if you see them around your property.

Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins

Every year the pest control gurus at Orkin put together a list of the Top 50 Bed Bug Destinations in the United States. Which areas do you travel to that you should take extra care to watch out for these blood-sucking insects? Let's countdown to the most bed-bug-riddled city in the United States.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

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Cave Crickets Return to Hudson Valley Basements - wpdh.com