Camel Crickets
One of my favorite activities is being mad at camel crickets.
For the people who have been so blessed as to never have encountered one before, they're basically these nasty oversized crickets with disgustingly long, spindly legs and antennae. And if that isn't bad enough, they have these hunched, malformed backs that force them to look down all the time. Like, they are physically incapable of looking anywhere but down, and for some reason so powerful I can't articulate, that really freaks me out.
They lurk in your basement and eat mold off of the walls, and when there's no more mold, they eat your furniture and probably each other, too (cannibalistic scum). But there's no point in even attempting to remove them on the spot, because they jump with such impetus that they vanish by the time your anvil reaches the ground. At this point, they could be anywhere. They now exist in every invisible plane.
Tensions have been high between the crickets and me for a long while, but the breaking point that prompted the writing of this happened a couple of nights ago when I went downstairs to use the washing machine. Ever since the initial discovery that these creatures have been squatting in our basement, I have trodden carefully on my way down to and around the basement, lest one of them sneaks up on me. This time was no different-- I descended into our house's equivalent of the depths of hell, alert for any unwelcome dwellers, and breathed a sigh of relief when I made it down with no incidents.
After having accomplished my mission, I anxiously began to make my way back up to the land of the living.
And then I saw them.
All conglomerated together, as if they were holding some sort of sick assembly, were six camel crickets. My heart began to race, as did I up the stairs. But I noticed as I was climbing that there were more, grotesquely clinging to the undersides of the stairs, making them only visible to the victims they had already lured down with a false sense of security. I rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time, every step leaving behind a frenzy of startled camel crickets that jumped wildly in every direction.
I made it back up, but with shaking limbs and pounding heart.
I left a part of me in the basement that night, and I have yet to retrieve it.
For the people who have been so blessed as to never have encountered one before, they're basically these nasty oversized crickets with disgustingly long, spindly legs and antennae. And if that isn't bad enough, they have these hunched, malformed backs that force them to look down all the time. Like, they are physically incapable of looking anywhere but down, and for some reason so powerful I can't articulate, that really freaks me out.
They lurk in your basement and eat mold off of the walls, and when there's no more mold, they eat your furniture and probably each other, too (cannibalistic scum). But there's no point in even attempting to remove them on the spot, because they jump with such impetus that they vanish by the time your anvil reaches the ground. At this point, they could be anywhere. They now exist in every invisible plane.
Tensions have been high between the crickets and me for a long while, but the breaking point that prompted the writing of this happened a couple of nights ago when I went downstairs to use the washing machine. Ever since the initial discovery that these creatures have been squatting in our basement, I have trodden carefully on my way down to and around the basement, lest one of them sneaks up on me. This time was no different-- I descended into our house's equivalent of the depths of hell, alert for any unwelcome dwellers, and breathed a sigh of relief when I made it down with no incidents.
After having accomplished my mission, I anxiously began to make my way back up to the land of the living.
And then I saw them.
All conglomerated together, as if they were holding some sort of sick assembly, were six camel crickets. My heart began to race, as did I up the stairs. But I noticed as I was climbing that there were more, grotesquely clinging to the undersides of the stairs, making them only visible to the victims they had already lured down with a false sense of security. I rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time, every step leaving behind a frenzy of startled camel crickets that jumped wildly in every direction.
I made it back up, but with shaking limbs and pounding heart.
I left a part of me in the basement that night, and I have yet to retrieve it.
We have these in our basement as well! They are the most disgusting looking creatures and seem virtually invulnerable surviving continuous broom beatings and shoe stomps. During bug bio last year I came to an agreement with a lot of insects, actually taking time to admire their brilliant innovations and adaptations, but these were one species I could not come to terms with. The only benefit I have ever experience from these crickets (if any benefit is possible) was that it was a new species no one else had captured yet and so I got points for my collection.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've never heard of a camel cricket until this post, I actually had the same experience with a spider called "Daddy Long Legs". These spiders have super long, skinny legs and a small torso. They were terrifying to me because of their proportions and the fact that they usually traveled in packs. I eventually got over my fear of daddy long legs but I do feel like, one day, I'll discover another bug that makes me cringe uncontrollably.
ReplyDeleteOur indoor-but-wants-to-be-outdoor cat is currently the scourge of the cricket population in the basement of our house. She goes down there regularly to torture and kill crickets, and she likes to bring them upstairs to share with us. I don't know if they're camel crickets or not--they're usually dismembered by the time I see them. But I suspect you would like our cat! The basement has been a lot quieter at night lateley . . .
ReplyDeleteA couple weeks ago, I was at Samantha's house and she screamed. There was a gigantic figure on the wall looked like a spider. Sam screamed "DAD" about 54 times until her dad rushed into the room. Then we called Mr. Stone and described it and he told us it was a camel cricket, and we caught it for Samantha's bug bio class. That was my first traumatic experience with camel crickets. Then, last week, I saw three in my basement for the first time ever.
ReplyDeleteYou did a fantastic job of describing your experience with camel crickets. I enjoyed reading your post!
I think the really gross thing about bugs and insects is when they clump together with other bugs and insects. If I see one lone cockroach I'm going to try to dispose of it, but if I see 6 or so aggregating then I will be terrified and get my dad to help me spray the Raid.
ReplyDeleteI just googled them and these things look like spiders
ReplyDeletethis post was cleverly humorous, I enjoyed it