Camel Infestation

Okay, they're "camel back crickets". I absolutely despise these things. And at night, when the lights go out... our basement is taken over by them. On a short walk to the washer & dryer (only about 8 steps), I probably walk past or into almost 20 of them, all different sizes. (Keep in mind this is only on a short walk to the washer & dryer... but they are EVERYWHERE.) They try to "scatter" which is a freakin' NIGHTMARE. They jump back & forth, all around, haphazardly, have NO idea what they're doing. The WORST was when one jumped onto my flip flop & my heel came down on it. I wanted to vomit.

The name, their description & their appearance all make me want to vomit. They are... chubby. I never thought I'd say I actually would prefer a black crunchy cricket, but I DO. The camelback crickets are brown & have a chubby torso. I could deal with that, except for the fact that they throw themselves at me as I try to walk in my basement. I found this description on my new favorite site bugspray.com :

Since it grows large, many people are
surprised at just how big they are.
Another unique feature of this cricket
is that they jump randomly and are more
likely to jump at you than away from you.
It is believed this is due to how they
see. Their vision is such that it
appears to them they are moving away
from it's predator but in fact they are
moving towards it. Some people speculate
this has lead the species to appear to
be attacking which in turn chases away
would-be predators. Whatever the reason,
keep in mind they cannot bite or sting.
Even still, having a large unusual insect
jumping at you will probably feel
disconcerting. 

What has me concerned is that my quick internet searches (how I treat ALL my problems - medical, broken AC, broken garage door, dying tree, you name it) seem to cater to "if you see one on occasion". Then I read the word "infestation" & I wanted to vomit. That's what we have. (gulp) A bigger problem. That requires either a gazillion sticky glue traps or calling the professionals. I've learned they are nocturnal & seem paralyzed when there is a light source. This is why we only see them at night... and why when we turn on the fluorescent lights its as if we've caught them with their pants down.

I have learned they eat fabric (much like moths) which is just one reason to get rid of them. Another being rats & mice like to feed on them. I think when I read that, was when I decided it was indeed something more than "something gross I had to endure in the basement at night".

Libby's laundry is done... but I think I'll just wait 'til the morning.