The best way to control camel crickets is to really change the environment so that there is no place for them to hide, and nothing for them to eat. You also need to begin the process of sealing your home against unwelcome visitors such as these. Outside, remove excess mulch and piles of leaves. Camel crickets hide under debris of any kind, as well as piles of rocks, bricks, firewood, etc. If you are storing a bunch of stuff in your basement, they will hide amongst it all as well as feed on the boxes! Both the crickets and the spiders are nocturnal. They and ALL of their buddies are sleeping all day long, ready to come out exploring and hunting at night.

I know this is an OLD thread and I'm pretty sure the interest has dwindled, but RachelRachel - you must live near me!! House on a slab in MD - with a billion field crickets. I must have every crawling critter made in, or around my house, including those box-elder beetles (sp?). The crickets (black ones) stayed outside, but I also had billions of those camel-back crickets everyone thought were spiders. Every morning I would have to cleaer them out of my shower - VERY UGLY YIKES!! I finally had an exterminator come out. They were so bad, even he was jumping. This company was from upcounty and had to come a long way to my house. But he came with great credentials, so I thought I'd try (after trying so many others that told me "crickets were harmless". He sent someone out the next day and five minutes after he left I could feel my mind relaxing - I could feel that they weren't there anymore. To treat the crickets, mice and beetles, cost me $600, for the year - $300 was for the beetles alone. After I became a repeating customer they started treating the beetles without charging. I tell this long story to say that that this guy was the only one that was able to put a dent in the cricket problem. After he treated my house for 2 years, I can tell that it really has helped. I lost my job and didn't have the money to repeat this year. This past Fall, I only saw 3 in the house. I will say though, that after I had my lawn sprayed for weeds, etc., the black crickets became rediculous in the yard. Every time I stepped somewhere in the yard, a few would jump - YUK!! Not sure if the debugging spray killed off the bugs that were preventing the crickets in the yard, but it is something to think about. Anyway, I would try the exterminator - even though it's chemicals, it's better than the Raid stuff I was spraying. In fact the exterminator told me to never use that stuff again - too toxic. I never smelled anything, and don't think I had any side affects. I may try the exterminator one more time this Spring since the beetles were rediculous this past summer - not on my house because it had been sprayed, but everywhere else, including on the trees. Talk about turning a tree red!! Anyway, again sorry for the long post, but hope this helps ya out for next year. The guy that comes to my house is super nice and very responsive. Email if you want info - they are in Rockvile. BTW, I received similar quotes from other exterminators - even those that didn't want to treat them. I also have a nephew that is an exterminator and said his company didn't think it was bad enough to do anything said beetle problem would never go away anyway. His price was the same. gneegirl

Hello all! So, I think the crickets are eating my rose buds, in the 3rd floor solid-walled balcony where I garden. (I posted to the Roses forum to make sure, but I think that's what's eating them.) Does anyone have any words of wisdom to talk me out of using boric acid on them? (Oh, also, one came in the unit. Well one that I *know of.* There are probably more. Certainly there will be more if I do nothing.) I've tried to roll with the whole insects-belong-here-too thing... but there is no balance on this balcony. F.e., whatever eats aphids *never* shows up. They just spread and spread... and then ants come and I have to kill those so they don't invade the unit too. (I finally sprayed for aphids today. No ants yet. Maybe this way, I will kill fewer bugs.) I feel guilty but I think this is the only thing I can do. Have any of you dealt with this before? All suggestions appreciated.

For construction details, see the link above and this one from Martin Holladay of Green Building Advisor. As noted by Holladay, there is evidence that vented crawls work OK in dry Western climates and the cool moist climate of the Pacific Northwest. I was assuming you're not located in those locales. Essentially, vents should be closed and sealed, the floor sealed in heavy plastic and sealed to walls insulated in moisture-proof insulation (not the ceiling of the crawl) and ideally an exhaust fan installed and a passive air grille installed between the living area and the crawl. Details will vary depending on the depth of the crawl. There are many specialist companies on the East Coast US, and especially the Southeast where crawls seem especially popular. I've personally come across crawls in New York, Ohio and southern Ontario, so I guess they're present just about everywhere.