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Well, howdy neighbors! Fred Talley here with Faith Pest Control, right here in Jasper, Georgia.
Have you ever walked down into your basement or opened up your crawlspace door, flipped on the overhead light, and had a strange, spider-looking bug launch itself three feet in the air straight at your face? If your heart jumped up into your throat, you are not alone. You just met the infamous camel cricket—often called the cave cricket or “spricket.”
October is peak season for camel cricket complaints throughout Pickens, Gilmer, and Cherokee counties. Homeowners frequently call our office asking, “Fred, what are these jumping spider bugs, and why are there dozens of them in my basement all of a sudden?”
Camel crickets are wingless, humpbacked insects that thrive in dark, humid environments. During the summer, they live in damp woods, beneath rotting logs, and inside dense ground-cover mulch. But as October rolls in, dry autumn leaves fall, outdoor moisture drops, and nighttime temperatures tumble, driving them into humid crawlspaces, dark utility rooms, and damp foundation walls.
Unlike typical field crickets that chirp on summer nights, camel crickets do not produce any sound. Instead, they gather in silent, creepy clusters in dark corners. When they sense vibrations or light, their only defense mechanism is their powerful hind legs. They do not jump at you to bite; they jump blindly toward whatever startles them in an attempt to scare away predators!
While they do not carry venom or bite humans, a camel cricket infestation causes real problems:
Property damage: Camel crickets are scavengers. They will chew on stored cardboard boxes, fabrics, wallpaper, and carpets.
Attracting secondary predators: A thriving colony of camel crickets in your crawlspace serves as an all-you-can-eat buffet for mice, wolf spiders, and brown recluses.
High moisture indicators: If you have camel crickets, your crawlspace or basement has an elevated relative humidity issue that could also encourage mold and wood-destroying fungi.
Getting rid of them requires addressing crawlspace dampness by laying down proper vapor barriers and eliminating exterior hiding spots like wood piles resting against your foundation.
At Faith Pest Control, we conduct detailed crawlspace inspections to locate their breeding grounds, treat the perimeter safely, and keep them from taking over your storage areas. If you want your basement back, give me a call at 770-823-9202. We will take care of it with our 100% satisfaction guarantee!
