Sticky glue traps are the most popular and effective way to catch camel crickets indoors. They require no bait, no chemicals, and no monitoring. Place them along basement walls, in corners, and near entry points, and they start working immediately. But glue traps aren’t your only option, and combining methods gets better results than any single trap alone.
Why Camel Crickets Show Up in Your Home
Understanding what draws camel crickets inside helps you trap them more effectively. These insects are attracted to cool, moist, humid spaces. Outdoors, they hide under stones, logs, and firewood piles, and in overgrown ground cover like ivy. Indoors, they gravitate toward basements, crawlspaces, garages, bathrooms, and laundry rooms, anywhere moisture accumulates.
Infestations tend to spike during weather extremes. Extended hot, dry stretches drive them inside seeking moisture, while excessive rainfall pushes them out of saturated ground and into your home’s drier shelter. They’re nocturnal and don’t chirp like field crickets, so you can have a sizable population before you notice them. That’s what makes traps so useful: they reveal the scope of the problem while actively reducing it.
Sticky Glue Traps: The Go-To Option
Flat glue boards and glue trays are the standard tool for camel crickets. The adhesive immobilizes crickets on contact, and many commercial versions feature printed cricket silhouettes on the surface. This isn’t just branding. Camel crickets are social and will move toward what looks like other crickets, so the visual design functions as a lure. No additional bait is needed.
You can find glue traps at any hardware store or online, typically for a few dollars per pack. They’re non-toxic, which makes them a good fit for homes with children. Place them flat on the floor rather than folded into tent shapes, since camel crickets hop along ground level and are more likely to land on a wide, open surface. Check traps every few days and replace them once they’re full or the adhesive dries out, which usually takes two to four weeks depending on dust and humidity levels.
Where to Place Traps
Placement matters more than the brand of trap you buy. Camel crickets travel along walls and congregate in dark, undisturbed spots, so that’s where your traps belong. The highest-priority locations are:
- Basement walls and corners, especially where the floor meets the wall
- Crawlspace entry points, near any access doors or vents
- Around floor drains, sump pump areas, and water heaters, where humidity is highest
- Behind appliances in laundry rooms and bathrooms
- Near exterior doors and garage entries at ground level
Start with six to eight traps spread across your basement or crawlspace. After a week, you’ll see which traps are catching the most crickets. Move the empty traps closer to those hot spots. If you’re also finding crickets upstairs, place traps behind toilets and along bathroom baseboards.
A Note on Pets and Glue Traps
Glue traps can catch more than crickets. Cats, small dogs, and curious toddlers can step on them. The adhesive won’t cause injury, but it’s a sticky mess. If a pet gets stuck, gently massage baby oil into the area where fur meets glue until it releases. Wipe them down with a towel afterward. Placing traps behind furniture or inside cardboard tubes (cut a paper towel roll lengthwise to create a tunnel over the trap) keeps pets out while still catching crickets that prefer enclosed spaces.
If a non-target animal like a lizard or small snake gets stuck, the same baby oil technique works. Once freed, release uninjured animals nearby. Injured animals should go to a wildlife rehabilitator.
Diatomaceous Earth as a Barrier Trap
Diatomaceous earth works differently from glue traps but complements them well. It’s a fine powder made from fossilized algae with microscopic sharp edges. When camel crickets walk through it, the particles work into their limb joints and scrape away the waxy coating on their exoskeletons. Without that coating, the crickets lose moisture and die within a day or two.
Spread a thin, visible layer in areas where crickets congregate: along basement walls, around the perimeter of crawlspaces, near drain openings, and behind stored boxes. You want enough to coat the ground lightly, not thick piles. The powder stays effective indefinitely as long as it remains dry, but moisture renders it useless, which is ironic given that camel crickets prefer damp areas. In consistently wet spots, stick with glue traps and save the diatomaceous earth for drier perimeter zones.
Buy food-grade diatomaceous earth, available at most hardware stores for around $10 to $15 per bag. It’s non-toxic to humans and pets if touched or even ingested in small amounts, though you should avoid breathing in the dust during application. A simple dust mask is enough protection.
DIY Water Traps
A simple homemade trap uses a shallow bowl or jar filled with soapy water. Camel crickets are attracted to moisture, and when they jump toward the water’s surface, the soap breaks the surface tension so they can’t climb out. Place these near walls in your basement overnight and check them in the morning.
To boost effectiveness, add a small piece of stale bread or a splash of beer to the water. Both give off a mild scent that draws crickets closer. These traps won’t catch as many crickets as glue boards, but they cost nothing and work well as a supplement, especially if you want to gauge how active an infestation is before buying commercial products.
Reducing Moisture to Make Traps Work Better
Traps alone will keep catching crickets indefinitely if your home stays inviting. Reducing humidity is what breaks the cycle. A dehumidifier in your basement, set to keep relative humidity below 60%, makes the space far less appealing. Fix any leaking pipes, improve drainage around your foundation, and make sure gutters direct water away from the house.
Outside, clear ground cover and leaf litter from the foundation perimeter. Move firewood stacks at least 20 feet from exterior walls. Seal gaps around basement windows, dryer vents, and pipe entry points with caulk or expanding foam. Camel crickets can squeeze through surprisingly small openings, so inspect at ground level with a flashlight and seal anything wider than a pencil eraser.
Combining glue traps inside with moisture control and exclusion work outside is the most reliable approach. The traps catch the crickets already in your home, the dehumidifier makes the space less habitable for newcomers, and sealing entry points keeps the next wave from getting in. Most homeowners see a dramatic drop within two to three weeks using all three strategies together.