Spider Crickets Are Real, And Here’s Why You Don’t Want Them In Your Home
These critters may try to make their way into your home this fall. Here's how to keep these pests out without harsh chemicals.
Just when you thought there wasn’t anything new to give you the heebie-jeebies, along comes the spider cricket. While they’re not exactly hybrid of spiders and crickets, they’re similar enough to put your arachnophobia on high alert.
What Are Spider Crickets?
These critters go by lots of names, but “spider cricket” is one of the most common because they resemble spiders. Their officical name is Rhaphidophoridae. They’re also known as “criders,” “sprikets,” “cave weta,” “cave crickets,” “camelback crickets,” or “camel crickets.” And because they look so much like spiders, they’re definitely scary to anyone who’s not a fan.
Worse, they often congregate in large groups, which can make for a terrifying sight if you happen to enter a place where a few are roaming around. But these bugs, even if they are creepy and crawly, are for the most part harmless. However, you don’t want them in your home because of the damage they can do.
What Do Spider Crickets Look Like?
Spider crickets are most commonly mistaken for wolf spiders because they are similar in size and coloration. But when you get a closer look at one, you’ll see long antennae, and you’ll notice that they’ve only got six legs, with the two hind legs much longer than the other four—just like any cricket.
Adults are wingless, and their bodies have almost a humpbacked shape. Many say they even resemble shrimp. And they can get pretty big, too—up to two inches in length!
Don’t look too closely, though! Spider crickets have a habit of jumping directly at things that startle them, which means one might leap at you if you scare it. This is a defense mechanism for the spider cricket. It’s not that they’re attacking so much as attempting to frighten potential predators.
Do Spider Crickets Bite?
There are conflicting reports on this. Most bug experts say “no” because spider crickets don’t have fangs or the ability (or desire) to bite humans. They use their mouthparts called mandibles to “gnaw” on their food. But they can gnaw on you if one happens to land on you.
No Chirp, Just Pop
Interestingly, unlike other types of crickets, spider crickets don’t make the characteristic chirping sound and don’t use sound to attract a mate (they do that by emitting a smell if you were wondering). They don’t have the sound-producing organs that other crickets have—though some sources say that when there are a lot of them hopping around in a basement or outbuilding, it can sound a little like popping popcorn (our apologies to popcorn fans!).
Where Do Spider Crickets Live?
These bugs can be found all over the United States. In the wild, they’re typically found in caves and forested areas where there are plenty of places to hide beneath leaves, rocks, and rotten logs in the summer and fall. Like stinkbugs, spider crickets are “accidental invaders” into our houses, loving dark and damp places like basements, crawlspaces, garages, and sheds. They’re known to gather in large numbers, too, so if you see one, there are probably more.
How to Keep Spider Crickets Out of Your Home
Inside your house is a spider cricket’s favorite habitat because they feed on lots of things found around most homes. Fungus and plant matter makes up a large portion of their diet, but they’ll chew fabric, rugs and carpet, wood, cardboard, and sometimes even fellow spider crickets. So you definitely don’t want them hanging around.
In severe cases, an exterminator might be your best option to get rid of spider crickets. But for the most part, these simple steps will keep them and other dark, damp-loving pests away.
Inside:
- Caulk. Make sure your home’s foundation is properly sealed and caulked to minimize points of entry.
- Minimize clutter. In those dark and damp areas, you’ll want to minimize any clutter that they use for cover and consider keeping those areas well-lit to keep them away.
- Dehumidifying is one of the most important things you can do. It might take time, but eliminating the moisture they love should cause them to go elsewhere.
Outside:
- Get rid of hiding places. You can reduce populations by getting rid of places for them to hide. Woodpiles, mulch, stones, tall grass—all of these spots offer them shelter, so minimizing such things will help keep them away.
Are They Toxic?
If you happen to see a spider cricket, don’t freak out! Even if they are creepy looking, they’re harmless—and a vital part of the ecosystem, too. If they’re in your home, dry up moisture, and they should go back outside where they belong. And while they’re not toxic to pets (dogs and cats seem to enjoy crunching on them), their exoskeleton can be irritating and cause gastrointestinal upset.
Amber Kanuckel
Amber Kanuckel is a freelance writer from rural Ohio who loves all things outdoors. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics.
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Amber Kanuckel#molongui-disabled-link
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Amber Kanuckel#molongui-disabled-link
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Amber Kanuckel#molongui-disabled-link
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Amber Kanuckel#molongui-disabled-link
This is effective and environmentally safe. Get some BIG rubber bands, at least 3/8″ wide by 6″ long. I use 1/2″ x 7″. Staples has a #84 that looks right, I’m not sure a #64 can deliver enough velocity. Nobody I ever showed this method ever said the band was too big!
I leave a few in the downstairs bathroom. These critters are way too fast to stomp. So, take aim, stretch the band at least 3 times it’s length. And it is a bit more humane, as it is instant.
Honestly, they’re kinda cute.
I believe I found one eating cat food that was left outside. I won’t kill anything, but my question is, do they actually eat dry cat food? Lol
Okay… true story… When I was little, we had a very moldy area in our basement, around our furnace. We saw a bunch of bugs on the wall, seemingly eating the mold, but had no idea what they were. This was late 70’s. My mother released a “bug bomb” every once in a while to “fix it”, haha It never really worked, so we (us kids) just stayed away from the area. They creeped me out and there were so many! The furnace was in the basement, on the farthest left wall of our house. My bedroom was on the farthest, most right side wall of our house. We had two dogs. The big dog slept in the basement with my sister, the small one slept in my room. One night, I heard my dog’s dry dog food moving around in it’s dish and it woke me up. I called for my dog so she’d come back to the foot of my bed and go back to sleep. But when I did, she was already at my feet. Yikes. So I froze and listened again. Dry dog food ruckus again. Grabbed my flashlight and looked around. Dog frightened. I saw nothing at the dish and no more noise. Turned the flashlight off, laid down again… dog food ruckus. Happened about three more times. The last time, I saw something hopping across the floor of my room. I got scared and went to go get my Dad. My dog hightailed it outta the room and I played the floor is lava with my flashlight, trying to get out of there. As I got close to the door, which is where the dog dish was, I spotted something that looked like a huge alien spider and it jumped at me! I yelled for my Dad and basically woke everyone up. My Dad said he’d get it, but, after we turned the lights on, we couldn’t find it. I slept in the living room the rest of that night. Everyone thought I was crazy, just having a nightmare or something. I was relentlessly made fun of by my brother and sister. But, the next three nights, it happened over and over again. But, we never found anything. Fast forward to the weekend… I was doing my chores, cleaning the corner table in my room. I was taking my encyclopedias down, so I could “Endust” and make it shine, haha I moved the first few books and there it was!! I freaked out, but so did it! But this time it ran from me. (Maybe the room was too bright?) It wedged itself in a large crack between the table and the wall. (The table was screwed into the wall, non-movable.) I unloaded that whole can of Endust into that crack, from the top and the bottom, haha When the foam cleared, I could see legs sticking out of both sides of the four inch table beam! It wasn’t moving, though. I ran and got my Dad. The creature was so stiff from the Endust that it broke apart as my Dad got it outta there. We still had no idea what it was, at that time. Afterwards, in the back corner, under my table, was a whole pile of dry dog food it had stolen from my dog’s dish in the four days it had terrorized me. My dog refused to ever eat out of that dish again, but, she did start sleeping at the foot of my bed again 🙂 Why I was the lucky one, I will never know. My sister had dog food in the basement, just about ten feet from the furnace, in the next room over, but, noooooooo… this one huge one came all the way upstairs, to the entire other side of the house, just to choose MY room, ughhhh I was about eight, at the time. I never found out what they were until I was 50 years old. I am now 53. After that long winded story… YES!… they will steal your pet’s food!! Protect yourself and your pet, at all costs!! Haha Good luck to you! I have been forever traumatized. 😳🥴🙁
I went into my basement a couple of weeks ago and like someone else here said I thought the wall was moving. There must have been at least 50 of them covering a wall. I had never seen any in the basement before but we had torrential rain here in the Hudson Valley a few weeks ago so I’m thinking that brought them in and they multiplied. They creep me the eff out and a couple got into the house so I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. I got some raid and glue traps and went to war. I started spraying them from as far away as possible. It was crazy. I was terrified because they started jumping all over and toward me too. Fortunately I was able to kill most all of them, went through the whole can of Raid. You see an entire wall covered with these things and you won’t be worried about humane methods of killing them. After that I laid down a glue trap and got another eight of them. I don’t care if they suffered. Stay out of my damn basement. I also set up a dehumidifier. Hopefully this will be their ultimate demise. They leave behind waste too that could potentially get a human sick. Death to spider crickets.
I feel you, man… I feel you! 👍
I’m feeling like I need a support group for these little buggers. I have been in my rental house for over 7 years, and the past 2 years is when we have been seeing them primarily in the master bathroom. my husband believes they are coming from the sub floor. It’s an infestation. There are too many-one found itself on my bed and leapt to my face! even the Exterminator could not stop them. When I clean and disinfect , more and more join the party. This morning there was a wasp and 2 dead cave crickets on the bathroom floor. So happy we are moving soon. I can’t take it anymore.
Well that sounds pretty horrible. I can handle most insects, but when they are all over – or like to get into my face – that’s a NO from me. I’m happy to hear you are able to move soon. Good luck!
I had one jump on my forehead this morning and wake me up!!! I did miss my alarm sooooooo
Oh no! What a way to wake up! That would definitely work for me as an alarm clock. I’m not sure I’d want to get back in bed!
Like any cricket, they make for a great fishing lure.
Other than the creep factor, post never explained why I don’t want them in my home or the damage they could do.
I just read one that did. They like to gnaw on cardboard, curtains, wood, rugs. I have all my oil paintings in my hallway ready to go up….I hope they don’t damage those. And I am creeped by them. I trapped the first one I ever saw (in the bathroom of course) with what else (I am a girl!) with the toliet plunger than called for help.
I just saw one of the Spider Crickets and it was HUGE! It’s body had to be an inch and 1/2 long! As much as I hate killing any creatures, yes, even bugs! Haha But if he got away, I would probably NEVER SLEEP AGAIN. lol
This is one of the few bugs that gives me the heebie-jeebies, and I can’t stand them. They get squished very quickly.
I read that you take a piece of card board layer it double sided rug tape they love the glue and they will stick to it when full throw it out, very humane way.
How on earth is gluing them to cardboard humane? I hate them, but like any pest, if you’re not going to catch and release, a clean death is a better option. Dying over the course of days glued to cardboard is cruel
LOL!! You’re right of course! I read that if you place a shallow dish of soapy water they will drown.
But that is not real humane either. We just have to make sure our homes are damp free.
How is them sticking to tape and being thrown out humane? They may either tear off their own legs trying to get out of the glue or die of dehydration. If you want to kill them, a quick kill is much more humane.
How is that a humane way of killing something. Why dont we just stick you to a human sized glue pad and when it’s full just throw you away. bugs have more purpose then human beings. Same with the glue traps for mice, totally inhumane as they rip there own skin off just to try to survive such a horrific death sentence .
@lakawak – Are you saying this article author plagiarized this and/or many other online articles? Your statement isn’t really clear. Do you have proof?
I just found one on my kitchen counter this is the first time I ever seen something so big my son knew what is was and we live in Florida
Used to not kill these little guys, but after years of catching and releasing I’m tired of them jumping at me on the toilet and they all get the death penalty
LOL! I know exactly what you mean. I will let a spider go out the door as long as it doesn’t jump at me. And I am deathly afraid of spiders.
Spiders that are indoors have probably never been outside so people tend to think there doing a favour for the spider but in reality.you probably just killed them. Spiders that are in your home are actually your friend and you may see the odd one because it’s thirsty so just splash a couple drops of water down your cup oats or wall and watch as they take a drink and then bugger off back to making sure your home is free from the bugs you should worry about
This is the best site for all. So much information about everything glad I found it ?
Thank you so much, Mary! We’re glad you’re enjoying our content.
I never seen these things before and yes when I first saw them I thought I was going to get eaten alive. I notice a smell in my basement that I didn’t like and then I saw them been killing them for awhile. Thanks to this site, I’ll get ride of these nasty looking parasites.
Not Parasites, though.
Ok so, I’ve been living in a basement apartment for 4 years (not where I want to be but the price is right and I do like it) BUT I ran out of how many Crickets I’ve seen, saved, killed and escaped. I used to catch and release but now i “Spray & Smash”. I spray Lysol and I have a big pancake spatula and WHAM!! Goodbye!! I alway’s turn the light on at night and in morning and lately there’s a Cricket!! I’m so discusted! I have to check around with a flashlight, under the bed before going to sleep. It’s disgusting. I know sticky traps work but i really hate those! Just needed to vent! Thank you and Happy Halloween!! ?????
I’m currently staying in a hotel, been here for about 6 months and they randomly started coming out of no where .. it started with one then two and now they’re everywhere! One even crawled on my bfs face when he was sleeping one night, he woke up thankfully and threw it off of him! I also found one crawling on me bed in the blankets. I’m freaking out because I just hate spiders and bugs so put them together and I’m terrified!! How do I get rid of these ugly creepy things???
We have so many of them in our basement , from Spring until November! They’re very creepy. We run a humidifier and the basement is overall dry, no standing water.
They’re also outside on the side of the house and in the garage. What an infestation!!
Would Lyme work along the garage walls? I bought some a season or two back from a “green” company for pest control. I haven’t put any out this year yet, but I’m wondering if I should…..
But my cats love them when they get in the house!
Keyword: humidifier…. You need a DE-humidifier to remove moisture, not a humidifier adding moisture.
Glue traps for mice catches them. They also seem to be somewhat nocturnal.
Glue traps are inhumane and terrible for getting rid of pests
It’s an insect get off your high horse
your right, like its an insect tf
Good thing thy are not human then.
I can’t do the glue traps either. I’m a little nuts about letting things suffer…yep! Even bugs. Lol You have to realize that if they’re only caught by a leg or something than they’ll be there until they starve to death.
I just saw one of these in my kitchen and he was HUGE! I wanted to take a photo of it because it WAS a spectacular looking bug! But if it got away I’d probably never sleep again!
lol
They’re bugs who cares, I’m sick of them in my basement. Crickets don’t bother me but these things creep me out.
I have in my basement and garage,I live in forest,they are ugly and I had one bite my neck or knaw and it stung and hurt for several hours! I felt the bite reached back and hit with hand brought around to look it was these! Just killed one yesterday,nasty! I will be cleaning out everything spraying and even doing some natural bug kill! Don’t want these in my eco. Y’all bug lovers come get as many as u want…ekkkkkk!
I don’t know what’s going on but I’ve got ALL KINDS OF DAM SPIDERS N BIGS AROUND MY HOUSE AM IN BETWEEN 2 CORN FIELDS BUT IVE BEEN BEING BITEN.. BOUT A MONTH AGO A SUM KIND SPIDER BITE ON MY NECK IT LEFT 1 TINY DOT IN THE MIDDLE IN IT KINDA SWELLED IN HURT LIKE HELL EVENORE WHEN U ITCHED IT!!!!! BUT NOW 2FAYS AGO IVE GOT 4 SAME BITES ON MY NECK.. TONIGHT I FOUND ONE OF THESE THINGS U GUYS TALKING ABOUT SO IAN WONDERING IF THATS WHAT IS BITING ME OR SUM OTHER KIND OF SPIDER.. CAUSE IVE BEEN KILLED A FEW OF THESE BLACK LIKE WITH A WHITE STRIPE ON THEIR LEGS SPIDERS TOO!!!!!! PLEASE HELP ME I HATE SPIDERS
I moved into my home 2 years ago and have noticed these in my basement. I rarely see a spider. Do they eat spiders?
I’ve always waited until spring, but finally.. I have a new guest who happens to be a ‘Wolf’ type spider. Since they’re hunters, I’m hoping if it roams a bit.. if hungry enough, those spider crickets will end up being breakfast, lunch or dinner for spider friend!
Also, I’ve noticed these invaders tend to hang around on walls & especially like to leave tiny hard shiny droplets which look to be their excrement, on the walls & so forth… nasty.
Anyone agree about them being a meal for spiders??!!
They eat each other,so I’m sure they eat spiders. Yuk
My cat loves to rip the back legs off and drop the crippled cricket on my lap. He then stares at me anxiously to finish it off, like it’s the ultimate gift.
Hi Jim, classic cat behavior!
every chance I get they some dead ass crickets
They are creepy AF. Boogedity Boogedity!
Cant people read? They will chew things in your home!!!! Omg read people read!!!!
I have had them in my home. I don’t like them jumping around or even walking across the floor. Luckly I haven’t seen any this year.
They are utterly harmless – and very beautiful, a work of art by the Almighty. Have never, ever had problems from the ones visiting our house.
A good sign you don’t have mice but you should use a dehumidifier for sure
I read the whole thing and still don’t know why I wouldn’t want them in my house. I guess I’ll not bother reading articles at this site anymore since the article was deceptive.
It says they can eat carpet,fabric and etc.Why would you want them in your house????
Sharon, the article is not deceptive. It states, “they’ll chew fabric, rugs and carpet, wood, cardboard…” To us, that’s a good reason to not want them in your home. Our goal is to advise. Not to mention if they start breeding in your basement, you’d have several hundred unwelcome guests.
I moved into a house. One day I walked into the poorly lit basement, and the wall moved. There were thousands of these things covering a wall. I tried spraying, a bug bomb, everything. Not one died. Finally I called an exterminator. He put down sticky boards used for mice. The boards worked.
they are extremely creepy.. Blindly they jump at u..they don’t clean up anything..they have no value to humans or the habitat in your home!
Why exactly don’t i want them in my home?
Maybe i do want them in my home!
Tiffany, because “they’ll chew fabric, rugs and carpet, wood, cardboard.”
My girlfriend’s got some in her garage her dogs have been eating them and they’ve been getting sick
Oh no! We hope he’s OK. They say crickets, in general, are not toxic but their bodies can cause digestive upset.
My cat threw up after eating one. They do case digestive upset.
You may think i’m weird but I think they look cool. NOT creepy! I like bugs :3
I agree with you your not creepy at all
i dissagree i think there creepy
But, you don’t say why we don’t want them in our homes?
He is right.
Go back and read the article again.it tells the damage they can do in your home.