Are you currently facing camel cricket infestation and really want to know how to get rid of camel crickets? Camel crickets also known by other names like spider crickets or spigots are generally harmless to humans.
When they invade homes, they can cause some serious damage to clothing furniture, and other fabric products around the house.
So, this article will show you how to identify and get rid of camel crickets on your property enabling the safety of your clothing and furniture.
Identification: How to Identify Camel Crickets
In any pest control process, it is advised what you carry out proper pest identification to enable you to understand the nature of the pest you are dealing with and implement effective treatment techniques.
Moreover, wrong treatment methods will only cost you time and money. Camel crickets get their name from their home-shaped backs. Although, at first glance, these crickets can resemble spiders, due to their long legs and short bodies.
This is how they also came to be called spider crickets or sprickets. They’re usually beige and brown in color and their bodies can range from half an inch to 1.5 inches in body length.
Like other crickets, camel crickets have large powerful hind legs they used to jump around unlike other crickets. Camel crickets do not have wings and are incapable of flight.
Additionally, even though camel crickets belong to the same family as other crickets. They are unable to make the signature chirping sound that most crickets are known for.
Where Do I Find Camel Crickets?
After you must have identified the pest infesting your property as camel cricket, you now need to confirm their presence or find signs of their activity on your property.
Outdoors
In addition to the names, spider crickets, sprickets, and camel crickets may also sometimes be referred to as cave crickets. This is because they prefer to live in dark areas with excess moisture, when outdoors, check for these pests in areas like:
- Underneath yard debris,
- Leaf litter,
- Mulch,
- Soil bands,
- Under potted plants, and
- Other damned areas.
Indoors
When conditions become too hot or too cold, camel crickets will find their way indoors. When indoors, look in areas like:
- Your basement
- Garage crawl spaces
- Inside of trash cans
- Anywhere else where excessive moisture can develop.
Signs of Camel Cricket Activity
You have to be on the lookout for any signs of camel cricket activity. This includes any of the crickets themselves, nesting sites, chewed vegetation, or chewed fabric, take note of what you find as to where you find these activities as you will be needing it for treatment.
How to Get Rid of Camel Crickets Using Insecticides
Once you are done with identifying and checking for signs of camel crickets activities, it’s time to start treatment, before starting any treatment ensure to wear your personal protective equipment or PPE and remember to keep all people and pets off the treated areas until dry.
To get rid of camel crickets in and around your home. You’ll need to use a combination of insecticides that will kill and control them permanently.
To Get Rid of Camel Crickets Outdoors:
Use a product like Reclaim IT
Reclaim IT is a liquid insecticide concentrate and made with Bifenthrin with just half a fluid ounce, you can treat 1,000 square feet of area and protect your lawn from a wide variety of insects and pests.
If you found signs of camel cricket activity on your property, you’ll first conduct a parameter treatment around your home. Then, with a mixed rate of 0.3321 whole fluid ounces of Reclaim IT per 1,000 square feet of the treatment area.
Afterward, you can apply a solution of Reclaim IT over your entire lawn at a measure of 0.25 to 0.5 ounces per 1,000 square feet of the treatment area.
Outdoor Treatment: Steps to Apply Reclaim IT
We recommend using a handheld pump sprayer since it will make mixing and spring a variety of treatment applications quick, and easy to make.
To spray Reclaim IT:
- Fill your pump sprayer with half a gallon of water and add your measured amount of products and the rest of the water up to the 1-gallon line.
- Close the sprayer and shape to ensure even distribution to pump the sprayer.
- Shake for few times to produce a low-pressure spray.
- Spray any entry points around the outside of your homes like doors, windows event, openings, and other voids in the wall.
Steps for Perimeter Treatment
- Start at one point along your outer perimeter and continue to treat along the outside.
- Avoid overlapping this application with your prior treatments.
- Once you’ve finished reading your structure, mix a new solution of Reclaim IT at the proper mix rate and broadcast over your entire lawn.
- Use a fan setting to ensure the grass plains become coated with the solution and apply to Turf to the point of wet, but not runoff.
Indoor Treatment: How to Apply Reclaim IT
Using D-fense Dust
When you’re done treating outdoors, you can treat indoor spaces with a product like D-fense dust. D-fense dust is moisture-resistant insecticidal dust making it ideal for application in areas where camel crickets are gathering.
How to Use
- To use defense dust, you’ll need a handheld duster for the long narrow spout to treat tight cracks and crevices.
- Hold the duster with the cavity toward the bottom, shake and squeeze the duster to apply the product.
- The amount of dust you use will vary based on site, but you should usually apply 2 to 3 grams per square yard.
How to Get Rid of Camel Crickets Naturally
There are effective methods you can implement to get rid of camel crickets naturally, we recommend, you implement some Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to make your property less conducive to these pest activities.
- Use humidifiers and fans to reduce moisture from your home.
- If there are any issues contributing to excess moisture, such as a leaky roof or a faucet. It will need to be fixed to ensure your interior saves dried. By keeping your interior dry pests will be less likely to invade when the weather becomes too harsh.
- You can get rid of potential camel cricket harborage by raking leaf litter, and picking up lawn Dupree.
- You’ll also need to address moisture issues outside of your structure as well.
- Trim all overhanging tree branches to reduce shade and encourage water evaporation.
- Cut or trim your grass to its preferred height to maintain good health, a regular height of 3 inches.
- If you keep man-made sources of standing water like birdbaths, drain them when they’re not in use.
How to Prevent Camel Crickets
Knowing how to prevent camel crickets is essential to keep its infestation in check. Even after you have applied pesticides. The best way to stop camel cricket activity is to make sure it can’t reinfest your property.
After applying chemical treatment. You’ll want to monitor your property for further camel cricket activity by sitting glue traps around common pest entry points to reduce the likelihood of any re-infestation in the future.
Conclusion
Camel crickets may pose a danger to your fabrics, but by carrying out these DIY pest control methods, we guarantee you will get rid of all camel crickets activities on your property. Also, preventing them from future re-infestation.
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