Why Spider Crickets Jump AT Your Face
Terrified of those jumping bugs in the basement? They are Camel Crickets. Learn why they jump at you and how to trap them easily.
You go into the basement. You turn on the light. Something massive and brown launches itself off the wall and lands on your chest. You scream.
Meet the Camel Cricket (aka Spider Cricket aka Spricket).
They look like a spider and a shrimp had a baby. They have huge hind legs and long antennae. And they are the reason many of my clients refuse to do laundry in their own basement.
Why do they attack?
They aren't attacking you. Seriously.
They have terrible eyesight. When you walk in, you scare them. Their instinct is to jump. But because they can't see well, they often accidentally jump towards the movement (you) instead of away from it. It's a panic response, not an assault.
They don't bite
Despite looking like aliens, they have no fangs. They can't bite. They can't sting. They just gnaw on cardboard, fungus, and fabric.
The Moisture Connection
If you have these guys, your basement is too wet. Period. They breathe through their skin and need high humidity.
I can spray them, and they will die. But if you don't run a dehumidifier, new ones will move in next week.
Pro Trick: Put out sticky traps (glue boards) along the walls. Spider crickets are cannibals. One gets stuck. The second one jumps on the trap to eat his friend and gets stuck. Repeat until the trap is full.