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Comments on Sunday 13 October 2002:
There was a scary bastard creature in my residential pit, last night. I thought it was a large and scary spider; usually I would leave such things alone, since they don't bother me particularly. However, my arachnophobic lover is due to be visiting soon, so I decided removing it would be a good idea. It didn't look like a beastie that would be easy to trap and remove, so I opted, instead, to splat it. Picking an appropriate A4-sized firm flat object, I threw it perfectly on target. The target, however, was three feet away by the time the object hit the ground. Fastest small creature I've ever seen. At which point it got scary - any creature that can so effortlessly defeat an attempted squishing is far more unnerving for that fact. Casting a light on it, I attempted to figure out its genre to better discern its motivations and weaknesses. Careful peering suggested that perhaps it wasn't a spider - it had huge freaky tendrils, as spiders do not, and one pair of its legs didn't look like legs on closer observation. Some internet searches for insect identification, however, revealed no creatures matching this one's description. Retrying today, I decided it was probably an orthoptera of some sort, though its body was smaller than this genre seems to favour, and its legs longer. Image-searching within the genre found something at least vaguely similar; it was a bit like this one, only more spider-like, and with even longer tendrils. It was also capable of consistently jumping out of the path of incoming heavy objects, and also (though more narrowly) avoiding being pummelled with The Stick Of Doom. All in all, a horrifying beastie. I don't like creatures whose dexterity defeats mine. Not at all. [20:19]

Tabbie
Ick! Cave crickets (also called Sprickets - being SPider cRICKETS) I don't know what they are really called I just know I hate those things. I'm suprised that you've lived on the east coast as long as you have without encountering one of these lovely creatures before.

'Nother lovely aspect is thier ability to sense fear. If you don't like these things and try to jump at them to make them go away, THEY JUMP ON YOU! Freakish little bastards. I much liked my roommate's solution (being - such them up with the vacuum and let technology/starvation do the rest)

RavenBlack
Aha, that does indeed seem to be the bugger.
http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/images/caves_cricket.gif looks very similar, though the wrong colour, and with tendrils rather too short. The shape and spideriness are right though. More so than the other picture.

Tabbie
I think the only bug I hate more is the house centipede. (Sometimes refered to as Fluffy, because of a Sluggy Freelance comic that featured these bugs. Having been seen before any actual contact with said bugs, my first reaction was "There's a FLUFFY in my room!") Seen here, they are not pretty. That's actually a really small one as I've seen them up to 4 inches long.

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/hgic/diagn/graphics/large/house_cent_l.JPG

Lenny
Yikes... I had my first encounter with one after recently moving into my own apartment. No matter how many times I remove them from my bathroom they seem to return. They must have a secret passage.

C. Copperpot
I'm afraid of bugs. I want to move to a space station.

Nameless
I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth on me though he were dead yet shall he live. John 11:25

Tom
Yes. I have often thought that Christ would make a good prayer mat.

Tabbie
So Christ will save us from the unsavory bug-things by taking us into space? Am I missing something?

Nameless
Why the scary bastard creature?

C. Copperpot
What if Jesus gave the 'scary bastard creature' some sort of bizarre un-life an exploding ability? Eek! Hold me.

Tabbie
Okay, that would top my "not in my house" charts. A zombie cave cricket....

Tyrethali
Actually, I'd rather like one. I imagine it would be an interesting conversation starter:
"Just what is this undead creature depositing eggs in my brain?"
"Oh, that's my zombie cave cricket. We call it 'Grarh'."
"Oh, that's nice. Is it dangerous?"
"Only if you let it lay eggs in your brain."
"Damn you."

C. Copperpot
But it would be able to explode, too!

Tabbie
Your brain or the zombie cave crickets? I think ravenblack is already working on that over at.....

http://liveandfrivolous.com/explodinghead/

Joy
Is there any thing I can buy that will attract and then kill spider crickets? Hate them!!!

RavenBlack
You could kill them with one of the poisonous anti-insect gas bomb thingies that supermarkets sell.

Dawn
Ever since I have started seeing these "1/2cricket 1/2 spider" things.. in the past 2 years.. I no longer hear crickets.. They used to be all around.. Now there is silence..

Sue
I find these spider crickets in my basement - along with little tiny worm-like things that are curled in a 3/4 circle. They seem to dry up and become somewhat skelital (stiff). Could these be the SC newborns?

jen
you can get a picture of the spider crickets at http://entweb.clemson.edu/cuentres/cesheets/hhold/ce190.htm

ashley
omg<\/A>/ i have those cave crickets in my laundry room! i live in New Jersey and they are there all year around! they are so gross. last night in went in there to get my clothes and one attacked me! they gross me out so much that i cant even eat there are so many of them too i wonder if theres anythinh i can do to get them away permanently.

Justin
Found this on another site when I was looking for what these things are:

The camel crickets are a moderately common group of insects. They are also known as cave crickets, a name descriptive of their natural habitat. Like all crickets, the camel crickets have very large hind legs and long antennae. They are brownish in color and humpbacked in appearance. They are wingless and up to one inch long.

As the name implies, cave crickets are found in caves. However, they live in other cool, damp situations such as in wells, rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards and logs.

Camel crickets are of little economic importance except as a nuisance in buildings and homes, especially basements. They are usually "accidental invaders" that wander in by mistake from adjacent areas. They generally do not reproduce indoors, except in situations that provide continuous dark, moist conditions.

Control efforts for camel crickets should include (as much as is practical) eliminating breeding and hiding sites outdoors around the house or building. Piles of bricks, stones, boards, leaves, etc., should be removed. Also, cracks and gaps in foundation or siding or around windows and doors should be sealed. Spraying a residual barrier of diazinon, Dursban or Sevin insecticide around the outside of the house may be of benefit if you apply sufficient spray to reach breeding sites. Treating indoor floor areas where camel crickets hide during the day is a last resort of limited benefit. The same residual insecticides used for ants and cockroaches can be used ("Home Pest Control", "ant and roach killer" or something similar). Occasional, individual crickets can be picked or swept up and discarded.

Lori
I am so glad I found you!!! I, too, called them Sprickets and lived in fear of them hopping at me. They haunted my dreams -- the nasty little aggressive, juicy buggers!!! First thing tomorrow I am off to any store that will sell me any of the products mentioned previous (except Seven - bugs in St. Louis seem to laugh at it).
I am tired of smashing the damn things and wiping up their juicy bodies. It activates the gag-reflex in me and I just can't take it any more.
Thank you - thank you - thank you!!! I thought some unholy power had cursed my house and an ungodly cross breeding had taken place to torment me. Now I know I have friends out there.
Spricket Killers UNITE!!! Together we can end this plauge!!!

cosmicbandito
i'll bet if you released a bunch of really big Guatemalan death adders in your house, they would take a disliking towards these creepy little shits, and kill them all...but then you would have to befriend and mate with the death adders

Krazy CHick
I also hate this horriflying beastie. They DO get on your nerves.They DO know when you are afraid so never run. Because they'll hop after you!!!
I've had so many crazy experiences with those undefeatable bastards.
Like one time: I was in the den and I was watching tv. I decided to get up and get something out of the kitchen. But about as soon as I thought about getting up I saw some thing so Horrible, So Grusome, so GIGANTIC! ! ! It was about 2 inches in size!!! One of those Spider Crickets! Ahhhh!!! I slowly began to rise from the sofa. I thought it was going to jump on my face!!! But by the grace of God I got by it. Phew! I hurried to my grandmother's room to ask her to watch it while I got the Ortho Ant, Roach, Spider spray.(Because we all know that if you just blink they can be on the other side of the room, just like that!) So I got the spray without my grandmother's help and surprisingly IT WAS STILL THERE! ! ! SO I sprayed it for about five minutes. And it moved behind a trashbin beside the giant radio. Yayy! It's dead! So I go into the kitchen, the doorbell rings. On my way to the door I spot that crazy thing again! At the edge of the kitchen I Sprayed as much as I could. I stopped for a second, for about fives seconds me and this Spricket were sharing the exact same thought. "I'm TERRIFIED!!!!!" It started to move towards me I backed up and sprayed again and it keep on comin'. By the time this was occuring my mother was already in the house and right behind that thing. I guess It didn't see her coming. I after I ran screaming as far away as possible, my mother said she squashed it. I'm like"with what?". She said she just stomped on it, I was astonished. I love my mommy! : )

Krazy CHick
if N e body wanna know my email has changed.

TreyBird15
I was once trying to kill the afore mentioned "spricket." When I went in for the kill it jumped from my counter top into the narrow opening of an empty soda can in my sink. I then filled the can with water...I will always remember that spricket as the most athletic insect of all time.

sean
I live in NJ. About 2 years ago during the summer I know longer heard the sound of chirping crickets. Instead they were replaced with a horrible, menacing, silent half spider-half cricket creature. Since then I have had many battles to the death with these things. Not to mention bad dreams. One story I can tell is when one night i was talking to my friend whow as sitting in my living room eating a cheese burger, he had put it down on the floor for a few min. and as he went to take a bite i noticed a spider cricket on it. I was speachless and couldnt say anything, i watched as he went to put the burger in his mouth and as it was an inch away i started pointing towards it. Luckly for him he was able to throw it down on the ground where we killed. Imagine if he would of ate it...

DEbanDrew
On this cave cricket/spricket/humpback cricket topic I would like to give some hope. I have dealt with these things my whole life> In my paretns basement and now in my own (just moved in a month ago)> I HATE these things. Anyway, I was doing some research to find some magic potion or solution to them and came across this website that was so informative!! It not only offers general information on the ugly things and their habits/likes and dislikes but also gives you the weapons to be able to deal with them. Here is the link and good luck to us all.

http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/camelcrickets.html

NJPETE
THANKS EVEYRONE FOR THE INFO ON OUR LITTLE CAVE/CAMEL/SPIDER CRICKETS.. (CCSC) REALLY DIDNT KNOW ABOUT THEM JUST THAT I HATE THEM , ALLTHOUGH EVER ENTERTAINING WHEN MY WIFE RUNS & SCREAMS AFTER SEEING THEM ........THINK I FOUND THE CURE ..THE NAME OF WHAT I FOUND IS called (Safer) IT KILLS ANT , AND CRAWLING INSECTS, ITS A YELLOW BAG AND IT CONTAINS (Diatomaceous Earth) YOU GET IT AT LOWES.ABOUT $8.00 FOR 4LBS BAG HOPE IT HELPS

Stephanie
I moved up to Kansas City 6 yrs ago from Clearwater Kansas and I have never seen these fuck heads until i moved into the house my boyfriend and I have now. Our landlord gave us some rat glue traps that he used and got rid of all of them. He also said that why they're in the bathroom or basement is because they do like the damp areas and here is the FUCKING SCARY PART......THEY COME UP THREW THE DRAINS!! Since im not allowed to set anything on fire again i found other ways to kill them u can get close to them but make sure u have a jar and a lid with you i have used the new clorox wipes and rubbing alcohol to sufacate them. Hell if I cant use fire to kill the little bastards ill find other ways to torture them. But i was told that after u go threw a few of the glue traps and u leave the "full" ones out for a while the creatures get the "hint" and vacate the property according to my land lord he has not had a problem with them in 3 years after doing that. Just a suggestion so I'm trying it. I'm at the point to where i dont enter my bathroom until i turn the light on first and look in the shower and under the sink to see if they are in there. Another way to kill them is STARCH for your clothes. My land lord said he had the strongest bottle and those babys froze up in a few seconds. Just depends on how you want to kill them I guess. GOOD LUCK TO ALL FROM KANSAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE HERE!!!

Anna
i hate spider crickets!! just today i realized that there was one on my bed while i was in it. the whole time the cricket was just crawling on the bed while i was freaking out! ...ewwww anyway! about a year ago my dad told me that i should put a piece of duck tape on the floor and they will get stuck to it and die. if you have a problem with crickets you should totally do this!! it works perfectly. my bedroom is in the basement so i see these things all the time. i have thrown away many pieces of duck tape with dead crickets on them. trust me, it works

Usarian
I never saw these cave cricket things until I move to VA (from NY). Stupid things were invading from everywhere day and night. (We call them Aliens.. they certainly dont look like little black NY crickets, and they stinkin climb walls!!!) Well, we got our bats and birds back this year. No more cave crickets. (2 bug bombs helped a bit too, but they didn't last year).

Death to all alien spider camel cave bastard crickets. May they all return to hell.

Usarian
THE DRAINS! THE STINKING DRAINS! Stephanie is right! HOW DO THEY GET IN THE DRAINS!?!?!?

Big Dave
Yes!!! The drains! I most frequently see them (in Charlotte, NC) trapped in my bathtub. They can't jump high enough to get out, so logically can't jump high enough to get in. MUST be coming up the drain. Don't know enough about plumbing to know how this is possible. Going to look for a new drain grate with smaller holes. Then they'll only be able to look out and watch me, but I won't have to know they're there!

Clarissa
At last! Someone else understands the absolute HORROR that is the spider cricket! I first came across these dreadful creatures at the home of a childhood friend in Georgia. Her bedroom had an entrance to a crawl space in it, and they were in her room all the time. She thought they were funny, but I was terrified. So the next time I saw one (this time in my parent's basement in Atlanta), I hot-glued it to the wall (I think it was already dying, so that made the gluing easy!). Then, I thought I was free. But my senior year of college (in Tennessee), I moved into an old house with a crawl space underneath. I had spider crickets coming into my bedroom on nearly a daily basis. If anything will make you curse like a sailor, it is having a spider cricket jump directly toward you as you empty a can of Raid on it! Or finding one perched on the wall above your head as you lie in bed. Those things just won't die!!! At the time, I did have a kitten, and he was the only creature I've seen fast enough to stop spider crickets mid-jump. Once I moved from that house, I thought I was free. But just this morning at my home in Alabama, I found a little bitty spider cricket sitting on one of my shoes- the horror! It was the smallest I've ever seen, but after reading everyone's comments, I'm terrified that there are many more in the crawl space under our house. I may never be free of these horrible things!

costanzo
i just want to say that you guys all rock. i never realized so many people were as totally terrified and disgusted by these nasty, prehistoric fuckers as i am. thanks for the many suggestions (just looking at the pics freaks me out) - i'm going home with a variety of weapons. with so many of us united, we'll win this war. death to spider crickets everywhere!

Teresa the bug drowner
I am so happy to have found this discussion page re the ugly spider cricktes. I was a nanny in Vriginia in 1998 and lived in the basement of the host family house. Apparantly as soon as I moved in these things appeard. Of course I was just being the typical irrational little girl that is scared to death of bugs. However, finding them in my clothes, bed and shower (with me) to name just a few places was very unnerving. Finally my host family provided me with a regular old bug squirter. The chemical of course did nothing to the crickets (it gave me power to attack without getting too close) but at least I could drown the shit out of them from a safe distance, which left me with the wonderful opportunity of having to dsipose of the bodies. Anyways, of course, as soon as I moved out so did my little friends. I have been wondering since that year what the hell these little beasts were and wished that I had taken a picture of them as no one seems to believe that I had a real live episode of 'Starship Troopers' going on in my bedroom every night. Now I can show them this website and make any man wince!!!

Abs
I am actually living through a nightmarish infestation of these awful creatures. I bought my first home and began with romantic ideas of how wonderful this whole thing was. Three weeks later I cannot keep these things out of my kitchen. The inspector told me I had thousands of them in the crawlspace and the owner was supposed to evict them before I took possession. It appeared that the crawlspace was clean and free from these dreadfull beasts. But apparently not. Yesterday I bombed both my entire house and the crawlspace being told by the ever helpful Lowe's man that bombing would do the trick. Well four hours after completing the clean up of all the bugs killed during the bombing another one appeared on my kitchen floor. Since that time I've found more than I can count. So I have a call into the professionals and in the mean time I might move out of my lovely first home.

Officer Jim
Picture This, You are on patrol and asked to check the basement of an old abandoned house as you go through the basemet door your focus is on whats in front of you and other than your flashlight it is pitch black. You notice what looks like crickets on the ground but don't think much of it. Then you catch something out of the corner of your eye and turn around to see dozens and dozens of these big creepy spider cricket things crawling up the walls and on the celling above you. As you move they move quite defensively almost as if they are preparing to pounce as a group. Seeing this you decide "hell no, Im outta here! You head for the stairs and notice them all creeping around the doorway. As one finally makes its move and jumps on you, you swat it, scream like a little girl and run like hell. As a former soldier and current law enforcement officer I have seen and out of everything these things are still fresh in my memory. I spent the longest time calling them Sprikets and having people think I was crazy when I described them. While I did find some peace once I found out they were cave crickets, most of the sites listed the size as about one inch. Many of you may know that is a shy estimate as the ones I saw were well over 2 inches. Anyway just thought I would share with the group, thankful other than having to see one here and there in my buddies basement this was my last major experience with these ugly suckers.

Rick
Recently I was walking with some random strangers on the way back from a baseball game. One of them stepped on a cockroach and we all got to talking about pests. When I brought up the spricket they had never heard of such a creature and were astonished by its fearless nature.
I am convinced they are a secret breed of cricket designed to kill the human race.
Fortunetly all it took was some bravery to stand up to the bastards and some help from a feline pet to win the battle. They haven't been back since in two years. After all they only spawn their young in the Spring.

Has anyone been biten by one? I've read that they do not bite, but damn if at the time (especially after I started fighting back) I didn't wake up each morning with little small red rashes.

YoRick
The Spricket I've got is blacker, bigger and hairier than those pictured. I cannot see the Clemson.edu file, either their server is down, or the page is moved. Can anyone tell me if "my pets" are the same type of thang? I concur about them being a sub-secret sect trying to take over theworld!

SuzQ
I too have these icky creatures and my daschund loves to pounce on them, tear their legs off and bite at them, until they no longer move! She is fun to watch while exterminating them, but I hate them!!!

NuttyChick
OMG<\/A>/... I was traumatized by these monsters for 4 years in Virginia as a kid. They would come up near the pipe in the TV room as it got later... First the small ones, then the big ones, then the monsters. I'd cower under the covers on the lounge chair as they deployed to cover all areas. Getting out of that room was sheer terror. And, OMG<\/A>/, in the garage. Around the dog food. Sometimes in the dog food bin. Reaching in fearfully.... I was trying to find a picture to show my fiancee and ran across this blog. I AM NOT ALONE!!!! I LIKED crickets before these things. I WANTED a pet cricket and a cricket box. I LIKE insects, I LIKE slugs, I even like some spiders and snakes. But these things are truly the stuff of nightmares. The websites I've seen say they max out at 1-1/2 inch body length. NO WAY. God, I swear the big ones with legs, antenna, etc... were a good 6-8 inches in diameter... You know how there legs and stuff make their space footprint more circular and spider like than those cute brown crickets??? I am trying to change my feelings toward crickets in general as I learned today that the "camel cricket" is no cricket at all. God, I was getting sick to my stomach while searching out their pictures -- I had to stop to finish my breakfast. Now, has anyone found a pic that shows a group of them, big and small, spread out menacingly?

BTW, "spricket" is a little too cute for these beasts. Maybe SpricketSpawn?

I share your horror....

Cindy
Here's a hint: cave crickets eat their own dead. My husband and I had cave crickets terribly last year. They would get in our bed at night. One bit my husband's leg... it was a very traumatic experience. Our landlord gave us on of those glue traps for mice and it didn't take long to trap one of the smaller ones. By the next morning there were 6 others who had showed up to eat the others. They would get stuck and just keep eating. Eventually the glue traps were full of just cave cricket PART. Very gross, but it works. They bait theirselves.

Stealth
My basement is FREAKIN' INFESTED. 13-14 of these every night.

There's a seperate phone line in the basement so we use our dial-up modem there. But due to this, we are considering DSL and a Wireless Router so I don't have to go down to this hell hole.

anyway, these things are INSANE. I've only killed about 12%. Their breeding ground ain't visible, but I swear there's probably 100,000s. They jump high, are scary as ***t, are MASSIVE, and have possibly the best reflexes of any insect common today.

Oh god, there's one under this desk....

Mike
A couple of ways to kill them - that's what we are looking for, right?
1) BORIC ACID - keep your pets away from it - most effective otherwise.
2) Vacuum - use hose attachment to slowly approach the bug. They are waiting for a quick offensive move to make their last second escape. A slow moving (long) hose attachment gets them every time. It's almost like fishing - fun!
3) Weiner dogs - I agree - they love to eat them. Make certain that you don't have boric acid anywhere in the house or the dogs will get it from the bugs.
4) Have not tried the duct-tape but that sounds great.
5) Perimeter spray so they don't make a wrong turn into the basement in the first place.

Up2Late
Wow.... I have laughed all the way through this blog. It is going on 3:30am (I believe I am just a bit over tired and so everything is funny) but, Nobody ever seems to know what I am talking about when I describe these freakish spider crickets in my garage (as if I am the only one that has them). Well, I have had quite enough. So, I was determined to find out what this hybrid freak is all about, when I ran across this blog...and thank God that I did....see... I am not crazy.... (well...maybe just a little bit) And, I too... unite... with all of you... to eliminate the 'SpriketSpawn' --yikes!

kara anne
Thank God indeed! My usual method of killing these hoppers, spider crickets, or as I like to call them,"goddamnits" failed me this evening. Dropping heavy books right above them works 95% of the time. But this time, as I lifted up a art history textbook(imagine how heavy that is)...NO CORPSE!!! Now, it's after 5am, and I'm up reading this, feeling a little better. My brother also said boric acid would help. I used it in the spring, and now I guess I just need to re apply. And yes, Long Island/Queens don't got these bastids, but here in Virginia, you bet.

Melissa
I just moved in a house and now I am breaking my lease because of the 'Spricket", which I agree is way to cute for this hellish hybrid of a spider and cricket. Everyone says they can't bite or hurt anyone, but just the sight of them makes me fall apart.....I'm absolutely terrified. It's been so nice to read all of these responses because I don't feel so alone in my craziness now. Something scary about the vacuum method of killing them is that every once in a while you will run across a strong one who can cling to the carpet and not get sucked up or jump away from the hose. They are the scariest things I have ever seen and they multiply fast. I started out seeing one or two a week, then one or two a day, and now I see 8-10 a day. Thats why I moving somewhere that I will hopefully never see another Spider-cricket hybrid again.

Nichole
I am from south Texas. I just moved to Tenessee for college and I clean a nursery that is kinda a basement. One day I opened the closet that had the linens in it and I say something out of the corner of my eye. I started to walk off, but decided to go back. I started freaking out and yelling 'what is that thing?!!!!'. The other workers came in and started laughing at me and said they were waiting till I saw one of the Spider crickets. Mine too was 2". They said it's really fun when they jump on you. Nasty, freaking, bugs. I showed my friends the pic from this site.. but they say that they dont look that bad!! I highly disagree with them. Another freakish bug.. is that house centipede. We dont have these things where I from.. and now I am horrified of that stupid closet I have to go in to get things for the nursery!! I agree.. death to the wannabe spider/cricket!!

SpyderJSlam
Great blog!! I moved into my apartment 5 months ago. Two months later I saw my first "spricket" clinging to the wall & it was huge. They get MUCH bigger than an inch. This one was the biggest I've seen since at about 4" counting the legs. At first, I thought it was a big spider but then I looked closer & noticed the freakish spider/cricket hybrid. Since it was all the way in the corner & motionless I just left it alone. It went away but I noticed it a few days later. It got away behind my bookcase. I tried to explain to a friend but he couldn't grasp the hybrid concept, especially b/c they are silent. I guess I'm fortunate I've only seen about 20 of them. So far only two got away by crawling where I couldn't get to them. They are amazingly fast jumpers. I tried to swat one with a magazine & it moved so fast I didn't even see which direction it jumped. I refuse to let them live & haunt my apartment so I kept watch for 15 min. until I spotted it again. My carpet is tan & they really blend in well but you can spot them if you look hard. The best way I've found to kill them is by tossing a slipper on them. If I try to swat them they're too fast but for whatever reason they don't avoid the slow-dropping slipper. Only 1 jumped at me. I just thought it was one tough bug but from all the comments I'm glad it was just one. I've only seen a max of 2 at a time. They love my bathroom. The idea of them coming up the drain is disgusting but since I searched my bathroom for possible openings & didn't see much the drain kinda makes sense even though it doesn't make sense how they got there in the 1st place. I'm going to check into the boric acid method. Raid works but I was wasting too much on one bug at a time & after using so much to kill one bug the "fresh" scent became disgusting. I've got to find a way to get rid of them permanently. I haven't seen as many as some of you but for me 20 in 5 months counts as an infestation.

Kevin
Theese things also creep me the f*** out. Everyone I tell just says not to worry. I am convinced that they bite or do something, because sometimes I wake up with red spots on my legs. I generally don't care about bugs at all, hell, sometimes I even eat them for money. I just need to get them out of my basement! Aaaaggghhh! I'm about to stary making small bombs or something to eradicate them!

todd
Ok...so I was just doing some laundry in the basement. One of your sprickets jumped onto me...scared the shit out of me. I had to run upstairs and find out what in the hell it was. These creatures look like they ascended from the depths of hell. Funny the way I found this page was the input of "spider cricket" in yahoo.
I need to go get my clothes out of the dryer. Hopefully the bastard is gone.

Angela
I was always afraid that my stunning fear of these things was something that no one else had. I am overjoyed to have found this site! Nothing on this earth is as evil and HUGE as these things. Why are they here anyway, what purpose do they serve! I remember one night while at my fiance's house, I stepped outside to smoke. I thought I'd done a good job of making sure the coast was clear, but then I saw them. HUNDREDS OF THEM!! Slinking abt in the darkness like the spawns of Satan that they are. I could not move a muscle. All I could do was stand there and wait until my fiance missed me and came looking for me to rescue me. To see a pic of them makes me physically ill. I don't understand it, the fear they invoke in me is primal/visceral. I would hate to think of having to choose to save the lives of my parents and fiance (now husband) or be in a room with one of these things. I could only hope I'd see the family in Heaven one day...

Brandon
ive gotten into the habit of calling them crazy crickets myself, im glad i found this site. i went throguh a life altering experience when i was younger concerning these damned critters...i was 14, it was a beautiful day, peaceful...tranquil. i had fallen asleep on the couch, but evidently..i wasnt the only one on that couch....when i awokei sat up...i felt a creepy feeling on my left thigh.....curious i reached my hands down and pulled out by the antannea one of ur so called damned sprickets....never have a screamed as loud as i did that day...im sure i screamed like a girl...but i managed to chuck it across the room and while horrified..somehow manage to throw a large book at it and smash the bugger...had a nice bloody smear on the underside of the book afterwards.

after inheriting my borthers older room and in my last school of highschool...i have discovered there are trillions more where that one came from...they come from the bathroom....and they devour their dead..as if to leave no trace of their existence.....all i can say about these disgusting insects, is that they are pure evil..and must all DIE!

heather
OMG<\/A>/! There is one of these things in my basment right now! I saw it as I was coming upstairs for bed. I screamed when I saw it, thinking it was a spider but then realized it wasn't. My mom told me to kill it but I hate bugs. The only thing I could ge the nerve to do was put a cup oivr it so she couldf kill it in the morning. When I came back with the cup the creep had moved like 3 ft across the room! When I moved towards it to throw the cup on it, the damn thing went after me! I tossed the cup, luckily it landed over it, and I ran up the stairs. I'm in college and live with my mother over holidays. We just moved but only a few minutes from our old house. I never saw these creeps at my old house! Before I found this site I was refering to it as the "Big Huge Scary Spider Thing". They are so gross and way more than 1 inch long. This thing is huge! Ugh I am so creeped out, I feel like they're eveywhere!!!

williewill
I LAUGHED UNTIL I CRIED AND THEN I CRIED SOME MORE LAUGHING ON THIS BLOG! THIS BUG SCARES THE SHIT OUT OF MY WIFE B/C SHE HATES SPIDERS... MAYBE NOW THAT WE HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THEY ARE CRICKETS SHE'LL SLEEP MORE SOUNDLY. ANYWAY THEY LOOK LIKE THE DAMN THING THAT WILL SMITH HAD TO FIGHT IN MEN IN BLACK! CAMEL CRICKETS IS WHAT THEY ARE, BUT I AGREE WITH THE ONE POST THAT THEY MAY IN FACT BE SENT HERE TO ERADICATE THE HUMAN RACE, OR PERHAPS JUST AMUSE WHATEVER GOD IS WATCHING US CHASE THEM ALL OVER OUR DOWNSTAIRS... I HAVE TRIED TO KILL AT LEAST 3 WHICH DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR. THEY COMPLETELY PULLED A HOUDINI ON ME AND NOT ONLY ELUDED MY SMASH ATTEMPTS, BUT TELEPORTED SOMEHOW OUT OF THE IMMEDIATE AREA! THEY HAVE TELEPORTION SKILLS, JUMPING SKILLS, MIND READING SKILLS, AND THEY ARE UGLY AS SIN.

Arielle
OMG<\/A>/!!!!!!!!!!!! We most certainly DO have these things on Long island!!!!! Holy crap man. I moved here from Florida where I dealt with massive flying palmetto bugs (read giant cockroaches) but thats nothing, NOTHING compared to these evil alien spider things. I never had seen one before and when we moved into our house they used to lurk right at the stairs by the basement, and I wouldn't see them but they would jump at me and i would be jumping and screaming and back up the stairs faster than I thought I could move!
So then I used to have my craft room and office down there and have had to do battle with these things. Some years they are less, some years they are more. Always in the basement. Then there was the one year they were in the (detached, thankfully!) garage. I opened up the door (you know the kind that goes up to the ceiling and then the inside faces down?) and there they were everywhere, hanging upside down on the door now on the ceiling. I did NOT go in there, nor will I go in the garage at all. But this is not the problem....
The problem is the other day, there was one in my upstairs bathroom, two floors up from the basement, on the wall, next to the toilet! I was about to use afrorementioned toilet when I saw it and started cursing and yelling and made my husband come up and get it with the vacuum (he doesn't see what my problem is and thinks I am being stupid but they scare the living crap out of me!!!!!!!!!!). Ok, perhaps it was a fluke, I thought, how could one get two floors up. Now today, there was one in the living room on the main floor!!!!!!!! Now this is too much. I cannot live with these things all over my house! What if one crawls on me while I am asleep?????? !!!!!!! I am going to try the glue traps and will post back again, I'm so glad I am not alone on this!!!

charlene
At least I know that I'm not alone in this world and my house is not the only house infested with these crazy crawley things. But here is the part that I don't understand, I'm not a young woman and I've lived on the northeast part of the US for the majority of my life.....I've never seen these fuckers before three years ago. I've lived in basement apartments, I've had houses that had crawl spaces, I live near the beach, but they only arrived in my home about three years ago. Maybe they are aliens that have invaded the earth. And I've had all the horror experiences that everyone one has had and my biggest fear since I snore like a bear is that one will jump in my mouth during my sleep....AAAAHHHHHH. I can't think of anything more frightening than that. I've been assaulted in the bathtub, in my bed, in my living room and kitchen. They are everywhere. I've had an exterminator for 2 years and it hasn't really solved the problem. Everytime it rains it just gets worse and since the floods in the fall it's been horrendous. I'm hoping the mothership calls them all back and they return to the planet they came from.

Sarah
Wow... I feel much better knowing that I am not the only person in the world that is terrified by these nasty little creatures!! My boyfriend thought I was nuts but tried to tell him... now I have some proof that it isn't just something I made up. These nasty bugs have got to GO!!! I am just comforted by the fact that I am not the only person seeing them... fearing them...

michael(sarah's B/F)
Ya well, even though they might be "real" they are still just little crickets THEY CAN'T HURT YOU! get a big object and kill it! problem solved! But baby (sarah) you still are nuts!

Amber
People though I was CRAZY! It's 7:00 am here in Ohio and I just killed one. My first encounter was this summer when one woke me by jumping on my head. I knew it was no ordinary insect! My boyfriend refused to get up and kill it, I in turn refused to sleep in the house. After sleeping in the car all night, I finally returned to the house in the morning. No sign of the awful creature. We had a guy working on our house at the time who overturned my bedroom looking for it. He couldn't find it either. Where do they go? Unlike other bugs..... they're just gone!!??! A couple of days later though, he confirmed seeing one in our basement. Then my friend down the street spotted one, then a fews weeks later, her neighbor. SO.... I knew they were REAL, and that they were Sprickets! Thank you God that other people have dealt with this problem and we can kill them! I was just starting to get somewhat past my cockroach fear, and then this? These fuckers jump right at you! I don't know that I can handle this. They must DIE, and SOON!

Ang
We live on Long Island and found these crazy looking bugs about 2 months ago..........Thankfully, only found 2 alive and one dead in the trap. Since the exterminator came, we've been lucky--and hopefully, will continue to be Camel Cricket Free. Funniest part about it is the more and more people you talk to, the more people you find out have these guys in their basements. These camel/cave crickets seem to be the new up and coming ugly cockroach/spider-looking grasshopper.

Oh and yes, they do jump....FAST---and quite ballsy at that........LOL<\/A>/

Emily
ok, hello to all my new best friends. i live in fear of these nasties, and am happy to see that other people behave as irrationally as i do around them. i definitely flick on lights and check around the corner into the basement before venturing in - to make sure the coast is clear. this habit started when i lived in northern virginia, in an old-ish building. every time i wanted to do laundry, i had to get through a spider cricket gauntlet. needless to say, i went as long as possible before doing laundry. anyway, many sprints and dirty clothes later, i have found other people like you and me who hate these awful creatures that have no reson to be on this earth save scaring people and being gross. and WHY do they have to JUMP AT you? ugh. also, a friend of mine was once putting a jacket on, felt something in the sleeve and so took the jacket off, only to discover that it was a SPIDER CRICKET! AAAAAAA i have found that in the winter, we are pretty safe, but in the summer, they come into the basement where it's cool, and hang out on the cement at night where it's cool as well. they used to guard the door to my apartment building and wait for me on the steps. and the shados cast by the streetlights made their back legs look so long and pointy, nooooooo...

Josh
I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one. The dreaded camel cricket is by far the scariest insect on the face of the earth. I can't even google pictures of the because the meere sight makes my blood run cold- it's like I can feel them on my back whenever I think about them. I've found that run-o-the-mill roach traps work. Apparently, they eat the food and take it back to wherever the hell they come from and just die. I have yet to see a live one in my new apartment, but I've seen 4- all dead- since I put the traps down. There's a huge one dead on my kitchen floor right now, just twitching.

GOD I hate them...

tam
OMG<\/A>/!!! I have so had these NASTY buggers eversince I moved in 6years ago!! I am half of a duplex and get this: My neighbor DOESN"T have them! I swear they are out for only me!! They are in my basement with OF COURSE my laundry room! Ugh!! And GOD forbid you step on one!! They are so loud & crunchy not to mention the mere fact that I like to have puked my guts up knowing that i touched it with my bare foot!!! I hate them! They look like pre-historic/alien/FREAK killers!!!!

Tiffany
I'm glad I found this page, its comforting to know that I'm not the only one terrified of these creatures. I'm in college & during breaks I live at home w/ my parents. My room is in the basement, which is overflowing w/ these creatures. About 2 or 3 yrs ago I suddenly developed an extreme fear of them for absolutely no reason. My family thinks I'm nuts b/c they say they wont bite or anything. But no matter what I do I just cant get over my fear of them. They're one of the creepiest looking bugs I've ever seen, & the fact that they jump at you randomly makes them even more terrifying. I cant even kill them b/c I cant stand being in the same room w/ one, I always have to call someone else down to do it. I just came home a few days ago for summer & Ive already seen at least 10 in my room. Ive been finding so many in my bed that I'm terrified to even sleep in here b/c Im afraid one might crawl on me while Im sleeping so Ive been sleeping on the couch. My brothers room is right next to mine & he never sees any in his room. Do any of you know of anything that attracts them? I cant figure out why theyre all drawn to my room. The past 2 days Ive seen one of these things walk all the way across the basement straight for my room. Out of the entire basement they have to roam in why do they choose to go straight for my bedroom. Ive been looking for ways to get rid of them & most sites say about using pesticides & stuff around the perimeter & then using different products in the area theyve been spotted. But thats impossible for me to do without my parents help b/c they use the basement as a storage area so its completely packed w/ junk, tons of hiding places for these creatures. They wont help me b/c they think I'm stupid for worrying about a 'little cricket'. So I was wondering if you all have any suggestions on what I could do to keep them out of my bedroom? I dont care if they are in the rest of the basement, but I hate not being able to be comfortable in my own bedroom. Thanks.

Jared
I just encountered one for the first time last week. Up until a few months ago, I had never heard about these nightmarish, ominous little fiends! However, I now live in the basement of a house in the Chicago suburbs, and I have been visited by more than one in just one week. Last week, just when I thought I had seen the first and last one (a very humorous pipedream, I know), one dropped from the pile of dirty laundry I had brought from my room to the laundry room. I was so glad I had picked up the laundry pile in a way so as to avoid the nasty little blight on creation!!! And if THAT wasn't enough, just tonight I found one in my sink, and as I approached it, ANOTHER ONE TRIED TO JUMP FROM THE CEILING AND POUNCE ON ME!!! Imagine that!! The nerve of the thing! By the grace of God, the thing missed me and ended up in the toilet--an easy flush. It is just too bad that not all of them jump directly to their doom like that. Here is one hint that might help all of you poor plagued "spricket" victims: the "sprickets" seem to like damp things (perhaps as a sabatical from their long stay in hot, dry Hell, where they are probably from in the first place). For instance, the pile of laundry I mentioned above included a wet wash cloth and semi-damp towel. The "sprickets" seem to leave my completely dry laundry piles alone. Anyway, I might try the tape thing, as well as get serious and use some kind of chemical warfare (like insect poison or something). Thanks, all of you, for your input and suggestions.

brat123456
Those thimgs are ugly and disrespectful I ahte them.They live along the laundry room in my old house .Ive never touched one but it freaked my out how high those things jump

Tom
I normally have at least 20 in my basement and 30 in my garage at any given time. On the walls, ceilings, floors, everywhere. I recently installed a central air/heating system and figured I'd put a vent in the basement if I ever finished it. Wola! No more crickets, they all went to the garage. I later installed a vent there and now I have none!

Shannon
I am terrified of these bugs. I dont care what it takes I want them gone. They have invaded my shower, my basement, and my television. Luckily, my dog, Ellie, will attack and kill them when we call, "ELLIE, BUG!". Unfortunatly, she leaves them on the carpet.

Steve
I just found this site after an experience today here in Hickory, NC that is giving me nightmares already and I don't mind saying this as a guy...

I recently got a job to rewire a home and it has a 3 foot high crawlspace under it and vented very well, so thought nothing of it at the time.. Today we started working, and as I got the crawlspace door open, and started to move my flashlight beam around, all along the interior sides of the masonry block exterior was the most unbelievable, ghoulish, freaking looking things I ever saw and it immediately reminded me of an Indiana Jones movie where the girl gets the freaky bugs on her arm reaching through the wall... I mean these things were so large, I could see them moving along the walls across the crawlspace which was about 40' across... It grossed me out.

As I had a clorox bottle sprayer with me used to get the spiders out of the way, I started to shoot some of these huge freaking bugs crawling along the way, and instead of it repelling them, they seemed immune and actually attacked at me where I screamed and got the hell out of the entrance of this crawlspace.

Now, with the sheer amount of these, thousands of tiny ones hopping all over the crawlspace floor from what I could see, it was the HUGE number of very large freak bugs I saw all along the walls that scared the hell out of me, and they were moving aggressively everywhere... I mean these things had to be up to 3-4" in length and scary as hell... I NEVER seen anything like this before- and I cannot crawl under that house with what I have seen, and have gone to Lowes later today to get some expensive bug bombs to see if this helps, but reading these blogs, realize I may need more serious defense.

I am afraid to have me or anyone else go under there and we cannot safely work like this and didn't klnow what to do until I came upon this website.

love2snowboard
arghh one of these bastards just jumped out of my backpack right next to my keyboard. must have gotten in at home, i often see these fuckers in my kitchen. i hate the damn things, im glad i found this website. im in MD in case anyone keeps track

bo
i love this blog session it is by far the best one on the web. please continue the spider cricket jihad!! love you and i am praying for all of you!

Bryan
I live in a basement arrangement in Virginia, I'm fighting against about two or three types of these things. Latest weapon is MaxAttrax glue traps. I got about 8 of them in the first 8 hours. They're great.

Manual eradication, where a big one is out in the middle of the floor- keep a corn broom handy. You know, the ordinary household broom that everybody has. Approach the cricket very slowly with the broom. Get as close as you can. Then, quick as lightning, use the flat of the broom to pinion the cricket in place, on the floor. Then stamp on the flat of the broom a couple of times. Just the bristles of the broom are hard in them, being leggy as they are and all- but I haven't had one survive the full treatment yet. If you miss, press the attack. The thing is hopping for it's life at this point.

Bryan
Oh, one other thing- they don't like dry climates. Turn the dehumidifier up a bit.

Kile
I've been consumed by the spider cricket...I cling to life as I type this. God help us all

bikerchic26
well I am so glad I found this web-site as well. I am moving to my friends basement in a couple of weeks...she absently forgot to tell me when I agreed to move in about these bastards! when she finally got around to telling me I said well we need to take care of these bastards before I move in! as I will be in the deep dark dungen of the basement...thanks for the tips on getting rid of them! ...also found your descriptions hiliarious!

Jade
One tried to eat me last night.
It was scary. =[

robin
wow this is wonderful news to read i have been tolerating these "hoppers" as i call them for 2 yrs now. sticky traps do work wonders. i have them in my bathroom which is in a laundry room..same level as my crawl space. i have to tell you all the best way to kill one is the grand ole toilet brush yep get the suckers everytime. they seem to be in droves now, becasue they are now entering the living room and bedroom this season uugh I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. thanks to all everyone has written about some ways to attack them i am off to lowes in the morning.

Christina
I am so glad that I found this site. I live in Illinois and no one I knew had ever heard of a cricket spider. I had never encountered one before myself, now I cannot seem to rid myself of the evil creatures. They live in the bathroom. Today was the last draw when one jumped on my back and bit me in the shower. I have found one good pest control. My cat enjoys catching them. Unfortunately he brings them to me. What kind of nightmarish creature can look half cricket and half spider? At least now I know I'm not crazy and that other people are experiencing the same nightmare that I am.

amanda
my room is in the basement of my house I do encouter these little fuckers every now and then...about 5 minutes ago actually hence my search on how to get rid of them permanently. I'm the only one in my family who has been absolutely traumatized by these ugly ass things...one once jumped on my arm while i was watching tv...i thought it was my blanket BUT NO...i looked down and not 5 inches from my face was this huge creature of death staring back at me...life will never be the same. ok so i have used things like hairspray to perfume with a constant spray to get rid of the sprikets but MY NEWFOUND WEAPON is ACE foaming Wasp & Hornet Killer...this stuff kills them in about a minute, but slows them down even faster...it also has a long range shot so I dont have to get near those bug from hell. The one i killed a few minutes ago was on my ceiling and I am on my bed on the opposite side of the room and all I had to do was point and shoot...unfortunately, i have horrible aim so my wall is soak )o: BUT the bug is dead and gone...YAY!!

Colleen
Ok...It is 2:35am and I am being held captive in my office by a huge spricketspawn that just will NOT die. I slammed it with a shoe, I squished it and then breathing a sigh of relief, went to get the broom to clean up the carcass. Only, when I returned, the thing JUMPED at me!! I am itchy and freaking out...and there is no WAY I'm closing my eyes tonight...I don't know where the thing went. Please, please, please...can someone come kill this thing for me? UUGGHH!!

kathy
YES, Long Island does get the fuckers. We are battling them right now. I just killed two monsters on my newly carpeted basement in the kids playroom. Yeah, right, I won't be playing down there. We also just killed about 5-6 the last couple of days in the Living room on the 1st floor. I HATE them. Purchased some stuff had shipped to a friend in NJ. I will be spraying this weekend. wish me luck!

I HATE VIRGINIA
OMG<\/A>/ I AM FREAKING OUT. My boyfriend visited this past weekend and told me that he encountered a large hopping spider like thing in the bathroom - two to be exact. I thought he was making shit up because he gets a sick sort of pleasure from making me freak out. Until.. I walked in after grocery shopping today to see one on the baseboard in my living room. I tried to kill it but it HOPPED out o the way and ACTUALLY TOWARDS ME. I am going to cry. I can't catch it. It hopped into a chair. I need to move out now. :*( I can't sleep tonight. ALSO I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building. HOW ARE THEY IN HERE? THIS IS NOT A CAVE>! AGHHH

Winfred
hey guys...i have this like creature in my bungalo and yo they come out sometimes but when we lit all the candles we went away....but when we started smokin joints they came out with six joints in their hands puffin sayin, "hey child everythings gonna be aiiiiii"

Jeri
I can't believe that these pale, long-legged critters are actually called spider crickets 'cause that's just the name I gave 'em based on how the look. I had an infestation in my, admittedly at the time, damp garage, so I went the scorched earth policy and soaked the place in Raid. Now there's one left. And I found the best way to kill one is with a cane. They never see it coming.

I hate these things...
I live in my parent's basement in VA and weve had these things for years. The exterminator comes from time to time but it doesnt do jack.

As a side note, my siblings and I have always called them CRIDERS. I think it sounds much more appropriate and freaky than sprickets.

Im gonna try every damn thing on that website http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/camelcrickets.html

good luck to all, and DEATH TO CRIDERS!

arachnaphobic
This is awesome!!! My husband and I lived in Arkansas for 2 years and moved back to MN in 2000. The whole time we lived down there, we never saw these things. A couple of years ago, while we were in Arkansas visiting his mother, I went out to the garage to have a cigarette. However, had to turn on the light before I went in, because I noticed to dark "things" on the floor that weren't there before. At this point I screamed to my husband to come kill these "things". Since then, whenever we go down there...I have to make sure there are no cricket spiders (that's how I have always referred to them because I won't get close enough to count there legs....lol<\/A>/) It has taken me this long to even finally get comfortable enough to sit on the couch that is in the garage (for the smokers...) I am not comforted by the fact, however, that they will jump at you......that freaks me out!!!!!! I'm just thankful that I have never seen more than 4 all at the same time....10, 20, or 30 at a time, and you would prolly have to lock me up in the funny farm....Good luck to all in your cricket spider, crider, spricket, spricketspawn, cave/camel cricket, alien adventures!!!!!!!!!

scaredshitless
i'm super high and laughing my ass off!!! this is the funniest shit i have ever read, thank god too! cause if i wasnt high I would probably be even more terrified than I am right now. I think we just found a baby one in my condo. AND I'm FREAKING OUT!!! I don't know what I'm gonna do.. write letters to get all association behind me, united against these FREAKS of Nature. How did they come to be here? are they really a hybrid of spiders and crickets? And yeah, its the funny farm for me if i were ever to come face to face with these so called 2 inch ones. And having it jump at me? oh no... When i first moved into my condo, that is 4 stories high, i had the balcony door open and a big lime green bug jumped in from outside. I might as well have hit the floor and army crawled out of the room, creaming the entitr time. I had to call my dad to come kill it, but he wouldn't so i paid my sister to. Yeah. my skin is crawling right now, from the guys story about looking left, right, and up and these things all around him in the crawl space, an closing in...

THEY MUST DIE!!!!

Grae
I'm Grae and I live in the great state of Virginia. I have lived here all my life and have lived in 3 different houses in virginia. The first 2 houses I lived in had no as I like to call them (hoppers) at all. But the third one had a ass load of them.....there everywhere and I know there watching me and plotting now. I mean jeez Virginia must be the Capitol of the Hopper world there fucking everywhere pardon my french. But anyway, once i was walking in my house barefoot and to mu suprise I stepped on one of them it was sliming all over my foot. I ran up the stairs at light speed and washed my feet off in the tub. Anywho it was really REALLY VERY GROSS I just can get rid of them. I could tell you stories for hours about them but the main point is they must be stopped. Mainly the big one with dots all over them eeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!

julia R.
omg<\/A>/ i totally love this blog....these "crickets" have many names aliens,spidercrickets,camelcrickets,but when i see them i always call them "OMG<\/A>/ WTF OWOOOOOOOOWWWWWOWOW SHIT SHIT SHIT AAAAAAAAAHHH GODDAMNIT JESUS OMG<\/A>/ HELP! " 's .i have been haunted be the site of these things for years i didnt see them till i moved to virginia (from PA)...i was five at the time and we had just moved in...we bought the house for its garage and den...little did we know those were BREEDING GROUNDS for the menacing spider cricket....we loved the den...is was our 'hangout' and we spent a lot of time there even falling asleep wasnt uncommon..but we'd always wake up w/ little red bumps...we'd shake it off and go about things.....but one night i was to discover the cause of these little bumps...unwillingly....it was cold aand i had fallen asleep ...i reach for the balnket we hung over the couch bac AND...it had falllen behind the sofa...i got up and pulled the couch forward and BAM! millions of these tiny yet heart arresting beasts fly out in defense of thier hide out...they won as i screamed my battle cry of retreat...""OMG<\/A>/ WTF OWOOOOOOOOWWWWWOWOW SHIT SHIT SHIT AAAAAAAAAHHH GODDAMNIT JESUS OMG<\/A>/ HELP! "...this was not the end though....we moved again and still into an infested house..though it was better than the first.....this attack would be plotted on my mother....she was asleep and snoring when suddenly woke up to a tickleing in her mouth...she would come to find that those nazi insects were in her mouth....i fear for myself being...and others who deal w/ this horrible insect problem...i now check the floor and walls,shower and linen closet for these "sprickets". it has consimed my morning activities....i wont stand for it any longer....DOWN WITH THE NAZI BUGS OF DOOOOOOOOM!

Doris
Hi,I just learned of camel spiders tonite.Are u sure they aren't dangerous?A woman I know know died a few day's ago her ex said it was from a humpback camel cricket bite.She had a bite on her hand that kept getting bigger so she finally wen't to the DR.with a bad infection it was all in her system she finally wen't into a coma for 2 month's then passed away.I don't know if this is actually true,but i saw her death certificate that said she passed from massive infection caused by spider bite.I thought it was probably a different kind of spider but I don't know.Not trying to scare anyone but this really is a true story.

Shubha
I am terrified of these suckers!! We have an infestation of them in our house, and each year they seem to come back bigger and hairier. The most terrifying thing is that last month, I was sent to inspect sewer drain pipes from work and these pipes are from all over the country, so they sent me video shots of these pipes that each lasted for about 15 minutes. The pipes were crawling with sprickets and I was subjected to watching them for a whole week!! I am now more scared of them than ever. They haunt me in my sleep and I am seriously considering moving. I am going to try the duct tape idea though.

coyote
While I do agree they are quite freaky looking these are relatively harmless. That is to say their not poisonous. However due to their living in sewers and drain pipes they do carry several strains of bacteria. If you are bitten by one you should seek medical attention and take antibiotics.

Other than that they are highly predatory and should keep other insects in check.

Amber N
Evil. Pure evil. I battle them on a daily basis. I usually go for the "Spray and Stomp" approach when killing them. I find a sprayable cleaning product, and begin spraying them from a safe distance. Since they have Satan's love protecting them, they usually do not die right away. I only spray to keep them from quickly jumping on me to kick my ass. I then proceed to step on them with one of my Nikes that I take out of the closet, since I wouldn't DARE crush it with the shoe I already have on, for fear that it will crawl up my leg...and proceed to kick my ass. I crunch the son of a bitch, only to find that its brother has crawled into the very Nike shoe I used to kill its sibling. Now I drop my shoe and run away SCREAMING in complete terror. Spider crickets bring out the fear in me. Fuck them. Harmless my ass. They fuck up my cool. I can be chilled out one minute and then screaming like a BITCH the next at the sight of them. That's okay...because soon the wicked will be wiped from the earth.

Dana
OMG<\/A>/!!!!!! I can not believe there are others out there who have these hideous creatures like I do. My husband and I just moved into our townhouse when I got up one night to go to the bathroom and to my suprise found this GIANT like spider on my bathroom wall. I screamed like no other girl has ever screamed. I think I woke the neighbors. They are everywhere. In trying to describe these creatures to my co-workers at work, I called them a mix of spider/crickets......SPrIckETS!!!!!!!! They all laughed at me until today when I brought one in for show and tell. It was HUGE and crawling on my living room curtain. I jumped up, ran to the kitchen and grabed a clear plastic bowl and lid. I knew I wouldnt be able to catch him because the cridders are fast, but I did it. I snuck up on the little bastard and trapped him with my bowl. I took him and my friend found a website describing these cridders as camel crickets. I will always call them SprICkeTs....... Just to pay it back for scarying the wits out of me, I shook my bowl numerous times and I actually think I gave it a concusion!!!!!! hehehehe Be safe and be brave. We can not let them win!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nate
HELL SPRICKET--Part 1
SETTING--Nates basement room.
ONE O'CLOCK- I get off the phone with an old friend and decide to check my mail before I go to bed. The dryer dings. Time for the last load then to bed. But wait, something moving catches Nates eye. It seems to be a small bug, maybe a cricket. He stands up and trys to identify it, but is unable to. Since it traveled into Nates (a strong and very attractive young man) he decided it was time for it to die. He moves quick to stomp on it.
BUT- It leaps a foot away from its death and hides behind his entertainment system. THIS IS WHERE NATE REALIZED-- THIS THING WAS POSSESSED BY NONE OTHER THAN SATAN HIMSELF. Nate grabed the nearest large blunt object (a shoe..fuck.. give him a bat) and stands back, watching for the fucker to reappear. He waits.. 38 minutes l8er...

Nate
It shows its evil right near his cd case. Nate waits, watches, scared but the demons abilities. He watches as it crawled under the cd case. Nate finally gets the nerve, wait fuck that. He tip toes towards the cd case, nerveless. In one quick motion he smashes the case down over the spider and even "smears" it. He backs up, the spider JUMPS OUT! THE FIGHT THAT OCCURED AFTER WAS THE MOST INTENSE BATTLE TO EVER OCCUR. Both, I fear, are dead...
THE END

-see it, in theatres, Jan 1st of 2007-
copyright 2007 (c)

Guys, Thankyou.. so.. much.. for.. this.. blog.

Let whatever God you believe in protect you from these fuckers.
Tell you the truth, even Nate cried before he died..

Nevs
Great to have finally found you all. My wife and I call them "spidermonkees" due to their incredible leaping abilities and the way they seem to toy with us. I chased one around our small garage for 20 mins only to find it crawling up my left shoulder one hour later (no lie). It seemed to be saying "hi mike, can we play that game some more big guy? I killed 3 yesterday with a pellet gun. I like the masking tape idea.

Ralph Monsolino
anybody know if Diatomaceous earth will kill Cave crickets

Shauna K
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am absolutely terrified of these bugs and I am sooo glad to find out that I am not alone. I used to live in the basement of a friend's townhouse that backed up to a river. My room can best be described as a cave. No windows at all. I slept with a can of Raid on my nightstand. Each morning I would stand up on my bed, Raid in hand, and look for the little monsters. Seriously, there were at least 6 every morning... I thought I had a fear of spiders, but I would much rather deal with spiders than even one spricket. A friend of mine teases me, thinking I am insane. I really think he doesn't believe me that these monsters exist. He works at a pet store, and keeps telling me he's going to buy a bunch of crickets and let them loose in my apartment. I used to be okay with crickets - even fished with them as a kid... But now, even regular crickets scare me. Knock on wood, I haven't seen one in years, but I also live on the second floor of a building... Wish me luck as I am moving into another basement apartment next month. Luckily this one has windows...

Victoria
Are we postive they don't bite? I just moved to VA three weeks ago and are staying with family in there basement. I wake up everymorning with bites on my legs, arms, neck, and sides. Mainly one foot has been honed in on. I looked around to discover the only creatures were these camel crickets. I can't seem to find any others except one large centipede and I know that type wouldn't bite, plus I have it captured in a box, I'll put it outside tomorrow morning. But the camel crickets on the other hand seem fast enough and creatures of the dark that it would make sense if they were the attackers. As there is no spiders in sight. Plus I don't even know I was bitten till I wake up the next day. They are large round red bump that itch worse then a moskito bite, but very much resemble a moskito bite. I'm really sick of these bites and they are getting on my nerves. The bites seem to have a long healing time and itch for at least 5days. I really would prefer moskitos any day to these. Or even a jumping spider's bites are less stress. Plus there easier to kill and usually run away. I heard these camel spiders were thought to have bad vision and when they jump at you they really think they are jumping away from you. But I'm perty sure no one has that bad of vision. lol<\/A>/, the bad part is my aunt doesn't believe me when I say she has a bug problem. She just wants to ignore it and says that my bites must be from some moskitos that got in from outside. I'm from MN/WI and I KNOW moskitos (pratically the state bird in MN/WI) and no way are these moskito bites! Well I think I'll head out to the store tomorrow and test out some of these products you all advised. You know I probably wouldn't mind them if it wasn't for this high suspision that they are the culprits of nightly radeing my blood. Thanks!

LESLIE
A MIRACLE IS WHAT I NEED! IM FROM MISSOURI AND MOVED IN THIS HOUSE AND ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO WE WERE IN THE BASEMENT AND O.M.F.G WAS DA SPAWN OF SATAN IN BUG FORM. AND WE HAD DECRIBED THESE CREATURES TO EVERY ONE BUT NO ANSWER, FINALLY I CHECKED THE WEB AND BAM' THERE IT WAS. OURS ARE HUGE AND ARE SOLDIERS, NOT AFRAID OF *$*T. I HAVE TO STAND UP TO THEM BECAUSE MY WASHER/DRYER ARE DOWN THERE. SO IM GONNA TRY PEST ELIMINATER BEFORE I BUY A FLAME THROWER AND GO LARA CROFT ON EM AND YOULL SEE ME ON HEADLINE NEWS FOR ARSON! LOL<\/A>/- THANKS YAWL.

Terrified in College
I haqve these bastards in my bathroom and they always creep the sh** out of me. I know that they are coming from my shower drain and I have put a large shampoo bottle over it untill I can get a drain w/ smaller holes and a rubber drain cover. For now its raid, bleach, AND white vineger.

Ferrell
My basement is their goddamn SpricketRave. These fucking things, everytime I used to see one I would hear the Psycho music in my head. . My wife creeps downstairs when she does laundry like she's part of Tom Clancy's GhostRecon and tries not to have a panic attack. Anyway my tactic for dealing with them is to expect the giant hop and kick them like Pele to stun them, then it's stompin time! Also, replace the Psycho music with Karate kid 'Your the best around, AND NOTHIN"S EVER GONNA KEEP YOU DOWN!" They've got no chance and always finish with an action hero line after you kill them. "hey Spricketspawn, remember when I said I'd kill you last? I LIED !!!

Karen
Yes all, they bite, I was bit once by a huge one, he got trapped in between my arm and something i had picked up. I didnt see him. My husband is on the war-path

Nameless
I am so afraid of these things I do not know how to live or sleep..... they are massive and just dont stop comming out no matter how many i kill. i fucking hate these things with a passion and i am even considering moving again because of them. i am glad i am not the only one being a little bitch in the face of these evil creatures.

Johnny
I live on Long island and have them in my crawl space

Frank
I live on Long Island and have had them in my house since I moved in 7 years ago. For the first 5 years there, I used to just squash, vacuum, or glue trap them. 2 years ago my brother told me to get this stuff (http://www.orthohomedefense.com/scotts-sites/ortho-hdm/index.cfm?event=product) and spray around the perimeter of my house a few times a year. So far, so good. Spider cricket free for the past 2 years. Until now, of course, now that I've just jinxed myself. :)

Nameless
I heard that they explode (and die) if you do something to them, but I can't remember what for the life of me! I think if they're out in the sun too long.

Bob Bugman
Get some Demon WP Insecticide and spray all cracks and crevices, pay attention to he dark areas. they love the basement and crawl spaces.

http://www.allpestexpress.com/cricket-control-products.aspx

Vickie
I think those things r out to eat us!!I walked in my basement n they were all gathered at the foot stareing at me. u could almost here the creepy laugh! oh yeah i went back .n when u squish them on the wall?ewwwwwwwwwwww they stain it!

Vickie
glue traps under the bed r good,I keep one under it.woke up one night to one jumping on me,i flew out of the bed turned on the light found it killed it only to think aw back to sleep,but no there was another on the other pillow when i layed down stareing me in the face.i walked onto the basement steps another day n a big black one chased me back with me screaming like a little girl.n me 44 yrs old

Vickie
n they say they can't see..bull!!they have a brain n they r going to swarm in masses n take over the world!! u watch!!nasty,ugly,scary things from the bowels of the earth!!

Vickie
helping my friend clean her basement today...we tried twice to kill it,then she pulls out chest can't see it...but it is under her hand we both scream she flips it at me,I start screaming,she yells kill it! i stop screaming get my bearings find it stomp it,vaccum it up. terroize me!!

Kim
I am glad to not be alone in my freakish home nightmare. I did not know about these things until I moved into a basement apartment in Northern VA. I am encountering more of these "Starship Trooper" thugs more and more in my little . I have nightmares and I think I am suffering from PTSD now-I have a permanent twitch from whipping my head around constantly to survey every room I enter and leave to make sure there is no attack from the back! Damn, this sucks! I even had to call a maintenance guy one day to remove one off of my couch. I am out of here! I can't stand the thought of another summer of this. For now, I use the broom method, and the household cleaner method. Bug man coming Friday but I do not have high hopes from what I have read here! -Sleepless and Nauseated in Alexandria.

Vi
I live on Long Island and never saw these things until about 3 years ago... when conincidentally we put an extension on our house that added 200 sq ft of dark, damp crawl space. Ewwww! Last year I was doing laundry and felt something in my hair. Since no one else has shared this fun fact: they feel like rusted iron. Ewwwwwwww!!! I can't deal with fruit flies so these things have me leaving lights on and banging around before I enter a room. (Doesn't help.) I hoped we would see the end of them when we finished our basement and added a drop ceiling to the laundry room, but I just slammed a broom on one. Ugh. Eww. Yuck. Tomorrow I call the exterminator. Cost a fortune but I don't see them again until the following year. My neighbors think I'm crazy and just laugh at them. I think if they exterminated them also, we'd have a decent chance to see the end of them. Bug bombers unite! Killing them one at a time will get us no where!

maryann
im so glad i found all of you, i thought i had coined the phrase spricket thats how alone i felt. no one knew or could understand what i ment when i tried to describe these things. my first interaction with one of these man eaters, was one actualy fell into my sleeve when my garage door got stuck, and i felt something bite me. i took off my jacket and this thing fell out and jumped away, i am not alergic to anything ,not even poisen ivy, but within 8 hours i had a bad case of cellulitis on my arm and it swelled so bad you could see the 2 wholes in my arm did i mention they were black scab wholes from this things bite, the doctor didnt have a clue when i described it, i got high powered antibiotics that cleared it up. i was lucky. i thought it was something that had morphed, i had never se en them in maryland before and then we moved to our new house and i have them in the basement, i told my husband , you call an exterminater or i call a divorse lawyer, (he called the bug guy), so good luck and dont believe it when you hear their harmless, take it from me.

Michelle
Hey everyone. Maryann I'm not sure how long ago you left the post since it isn't dated but I have been seeing these creeps since I moved in to this house 4 years ago. Today is December 14, 2009. I only saw one or two a year at first, but all of a sudden they are in my master bedroom "toilet closet." I can't stand to go in there cause they are usually on the ceilling and I'm afraid it will jump on me. Anyways right next to that is a walk in closet and a pull down ladder to the small attic area is inside the closet. My house is also on a crawl space. Well the reason I found your post so interesting is because I also had cellulitis from the waist down twice in the last 10 months. The fist time it was 2 weeks after I had a c-section and I was so swollen when I finally went to the ER I had to be admitted for IV antibiotics. I was sure it was due to the fact that I had had the C-section and I use medicine for arthritis that weakens your immune system. I finally got rid of it the first time and it returned about 2 months later. I have never found anyone locally (Bloomington, Indiana) who had seen them. Then my brother tells me he had to bomb his attached garage (he just moved in to this house) for a bug he referred to as a "spricket." I said you mean the bugs look Egyptian/prehistoric? He said yea a cross between a spider and cricket. I decided to check online about them since I won't use the toilet in my bedroom anymore! I swear a new one is in there alone everyday and I can not even bare to look at a picture of them let alone try to kill one! Yuck. I just wonder about the cellulitis/ spricket connection? How soon did you have the cellulitis after bitten? I never noticed any bite mark but then again I also have mild psoriasis so little red marks wouldn't alarm me. The doctors assumed it was the c-section that caused it. Now I wonder? Creepy.

fuck
camel cricket is the worst creature I encounter in my whole damn life.

Hoy shit... why jesus made that totally murthafuckin' creature ?

lougle
You guys rock, kill this government expiriment!!!

Renee
my grandson sent this page to me, OMG<\/A>/ , this creature is allover the US,,, yes they are s carry looking, and yes they do hop toward you , I have enjoyed reading everyone's incidents , I mean I have sat here dying laughing, & at the same time I wont be going to the basement tonight, the little things will sit on the steps, LOL<\/A>/

friend of all...
I really don't know why all you folks don't like these bold little creatures, I have one living in my bathroom and and we talk as I sit, and he listens to what I have to say, because he's my buddy. Sometimes I don't like it when his family and friends stop by for a visit, because it gets a little crowded, but I never say anything about it to him, and I know that he doesn't like it when my family and friends stop by for a visit, because they always screaming at him. Why would anyone want to scream at my buddy?

Joan
I have lived in Queens and then Nassau County my whole life (over 55 years) and never saw these Cave Crickets,( aka: camel crickets, jumpy bugs, buggers),until about 5 years ago. I find the duct tape or glue traps work well. Fly swatters are great too. Unlike a book or solid object, the bugger does not feel the forced air coming down on him/her. When/why did they start coming to long island or any of the places they are now invading?
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