About half my traffic right now seems to be going to that old post about camel crickets. These things really freak people out, so that page is filling up with fun comments like this one from bobbie jean:
just reading all of these entries makes my skin crawl. i lived in virginia for 20 years and never got use to them. they are the scariest alien/predator bug i have seen ever. i also noticed the bug disappearance. i started thinking there sinister buddies came and picked up there dead bodies up after i killed them. another thing i noticed or maybe just imagined is that the nasty little sprickets would jump at you or towards you instead of away from you. glad to know im not the only one terrified of them.
According to the Wikipedia article these creatures have been known to eat their own limbs if there’s nothing else available, so the stories about dead crickets disappearing might not just be paranoid fantasy. But my favorite part of the article is its suggestions for getting rid of the bugs. Along with ideas like setting sticky paper, spraying insecticide, and getting rid of hospitable breeding areas, it recommends releasing centipedes into the house to hunt them. That’s fantastic! People who can’t stand having crickets in their homes will just love having these guys crawling around:
Follow them with Bolivian tree lizards, then Chinese snakes, a few gorillas, and winter will take care of the rest. Cricket problem solved.
[Photo from the Flickr stream of David Reeves.]
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Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, barista, mixologist, and magician in Portland, OR. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Reason Online, The Oregonian, and other publications.
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Beautiful Simpsons reference. Well done sir.
Thought you’d appreciate that
I just stepped on a centipede in my office that looked exactly like the one in the picture you’ve got there.
Creepy, aren’t they? And surprisingly fast. I came across a couple in most of my apartments in Virginia, usually while barefoot in the bathroom at night with my glasses off. Fun times.
what is the name of that bug with all the legs? the one that people keep saying is a natural predator to the camel cricket.
I need to know the name of the bug in the picture. We are finding more and more out here in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. It’s getting warmer out here, so I am assuming they are trying to get out the heat. Found one in office, bedroom, living room, shower and bathroom. Do they like the dark? Sensitive to light? How do you kill them? We usually spray perimeters of home with Home Depot bug spray, should that be enough? They are fast.
Is it a centipede, mixed breed, what is it?????
dats great!! icame online to find out what that thing i just squished and while reading this i squished the only thing that gets rid of them dammit!
I am so glad I am not the only one who is freaked out by these camel crickets.
I am so petrified, even two of my three cats are too! I once found a dead one in the washing machine. It looked like a baby tadpole all stretched out! They are the most frightening of all bugs, so big you should be able to put a leash and collar on the damn thing and walk it!!
I throw books on top of them to kill them, but they make a mess. Have you noticed they are so heavy when they jump, you can actually hear their weight landing on the floor?
What is the best insectiside to kill them? I once saw one jumping upstairs!
Please hurry and write. It’s getting cold in Pennsylvania and they are back.
Please help anyone, I am killing anywhere from 3-5 of these pest in my home each day. I had never heard of them, until a took a pic and showed it to a male co-worker and he told me what it was. These crickets are gross, they jump all around and they look disgusting. I think they are entering my home, from an attached carport. I have a small storage closet, which my washer pipes run through. This is how I think they are entering my home. I have contacted my landlord about securing this area more, because there is a void there. They are really getting on my last nerves, someone please help!
they freak me out. This year is the first time i ever had to deal w/these freaky THINGS. I must kill 3-4 per day. I read they come from the cool dampness. they also are called basement bugs. GROSS!! i want them gone. how do i get rid of them?
i just moved into a basement apt in a very nice home and starting seeing
these camel crickets i am so freaked i am trying to find another apt to move
into can an exterminator get rid of them or not