persistent camelback cricket problem in basement
Hi Jonathan,
We have had these crickets now for three summers. They seem to breed from about august thru about october or november. I had one exterminating company here that got rid of them that first summer by fogging them. They have since gone out of business and I hired terminex who told me that fogging is illegal. They have treated the basement now for 2 summers and the problem still persists. They do come back when i call that i see the crickets, and they come 4 times a year. But i want them gone!! My kids will not play in the basement anymore and it is such shame it is a great play area. Are the products you sell the same items that terminex is using? They spray the baseboards, outlets, ceiling, and outer perimeter of our house, and the problem is still occurring. Please let me know what the best thing to do at this point is. I would say this is not light to moderate but rather more serious. Thank you.
S.
Camelback crickets can be a persistent and stubborn pest to control. The main reason is they like to live out of sight, away from people and light, and therefore the most obvious locations to treat are not usually all the important when trying to solve the problem. Additionally, they will many times live without anyone knowing in the home. This happens because during t3h warm months, they're content to reside hidden and have no need to come out and forage. But when food is limited or when it's cold, they'll have to come into living areas for food and heat and this is when conflict can arise.
The treatments described by you above which have been done indicate that some effort has been put forth to try and control the problem. However, it appears that these treatments have really only addressed routes of entry and not main nest locations. If you wish to be rid of this pest once and for all, a more direct approach will be needed.
As explained in our CAMELBACK CRICKET CONTROL ARTICLE, this insect likes to live where it is dark, out of sight, and yet where both food and safe harborage can be acquired. The most common locations where this exists in the home are basements and crawlspaces. My guess is that you have some location which is being overlooked where they are thriving. It could be in a crawl space. It could be behind a finished wall of the basement. It could even be in a drop down ceiling of the basement. The point is you really need to find the main nest site if you want to get rid of them once and for all.
And after a good inspection if you're able to find some locations that have been overlooked, getting some of our products to treat the area could definitely help. We do in fact sell the same products professional pest control companies use so what we're selling isn't what you'd find on the shelves at your local hardware store. And they do work really well. But as good as they work, the key is getting them where they need to be. Do that and you can solve any problem.
As for which one to use? I would say either the DELTAMETHRIN DUST or the NIBAN BAIT. The dust would provide long term control and if you have a big large area to cover which you don't want to get "into", like a crawl space, it would be well suited for the job and definitely the best choice compared to the Niban. It's also real good for treating wall voids. But for the living areas, the Niban is well suited since it's discrete and can be hidden when applied. I also suggest setting up some CRICKET TRAPS.
Outside the liquid ESFENVALERATE is the better choice but in my experience, camelback crickets are almost always inside so outside treatments should be done if you're seeing them out there. But if the problem is inside, focus your attention where it matters and you'll stand a better chance of success.
Here are links to the pages mentioned above:
http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/camelcrickets.html
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page427.html
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page424.html
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1286.html
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page422.html
Give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 if you have further questions or ideas on how to treat this problem. I'm sure with our technical support and the right products you'll be able to get a satisfactory resolution to this cricket problem.
jonathan
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Comments on persistent camelback cricket problem in basement
Daniel Swink @ 12:04 am
Cant I just drop a couple of poison bombs on these bastards and leave the house for the afternoon. I just have them in the basement so I figure 2 will kill anything down there.
admin @ 6:28 am
@Daniel Swink: This would be a complete waste of time and money. If you read our cricket control article (the link is above), you'll learn these guys are secretive. In other words, they don't hang out in the open but prefer to live hidden from sight. In your situation, you state you "have them in the basement". Such environments are either finished or unfinished. If yours is finished, the crickets are no doubt hiding behind the walls and ceiling of the finished area. Since total release aerosols (poison bombs) are designed to blanket the open area in a room, the treatment will not reach deep into the spaces where the bulk of the population will be hiding. The net result will be little to no effect.
Now if your basement is unfinished, it would mean these guys are coming from either a crawl space or the outside. Regardless, in both cases the total release aerosols would again only treat the exposed open area and not address the key nest locations.
Lastly, total release aerosols are also very weak and they don't last long. In other words, they are barely strong enough to affect any insect (which is why they're okay to spray out in the open all over everything) but by making them so safe, they're largely ineffective at solving problems. No doubt they can kill however many that might be out in the open during the treatment. But as you already know, this pest doesn't much like to stand out in the open much if ever at all. And any that are hiding during the treatment will no doubt be unaffected. The net result is when such products are used for this pest, most of it is spewed out over an area which is not important when it comes to solving a local infestation.
And just what you'll need to solve your problem is no doubt listed above. Decide if you prefer to bait or dust the hidden areas as both these treatments will last a good long time which is essential when dealing with camelback crickets. Also, the residual spraying we list can be a big help since treatments can last 3-6 weeks. This is key for cricket control and why the process we outline above is so effective.
Give us a call if you're unclear on how to proceed and where to treat. Our toll free is 1-800-877-7290 and no doubt we'll be able to detail how you can knock them out once and for all.