Cave crickets and camel crickets are the same insect. Both names refer to members of the family Rhaphidophoridae, a group of wingless, humpbacked crickets found throughout North America and beyond. “Camel cricket” comes from their arched, hump-shaped back, while “cave cricket” reflects the fact that some species specialize in living in caves. You’ll also hear them called spider crickets, thanks to their long, spindly legs. These are all common names for the same group of insects, not separate species.
Why So Many Names?
The confusion is understandable. Most insects get one common name, but camel crickets earned several because they look and behave in ways that remind people of very different animals. The humped back suggests a camel. The long legs and crouched posture look spider-like. And many species live in dark, damp environments like caves, giving rise to the “cave cricket” label. Entomologists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee note that “camel cricket” is the most widely used term, with “cave cricket” describing the habitat preference of certain species within the same family.
If you’ve seen one in your basement and one in a nature documentary about caves, they may look slightly different in size or coloring, but they’re close relatives built from the same body plan.
How to Identify Them
Regardless of which name you use, these crickets share a distinctive set of features that make them easy to recognize once you know what to look for. Adults have no wings, which immediately sets them apart from the common house crickets that chirp at night. Because they lack wings, camel crickets are completely silent. They never chirp.
Their bodies are small and tan to brown, with a pronounced hump. The antennae are much longer than the body, sometimes dramatically so, sweeping forward like thin whips. Their oversized hind legs make them powerful jumpers and contribute to the spider-like appearance that startles people. The largest North American species, the square-legged camel cricket found along the Pacific Coast, has a leg spread of up to 8 inches despite having a relatively small body.
Where They Live
In the wild, camel crickets gravitate toward cool, dark, moist places: under logs, inside rock crevices, in leaf litter, and of course in caves. They’re nocturnal and avoid light. This is exactly why they end up in basements, crawl spaces, garages, and utility rooms. Any part of your home that stays damp and dim mimics their natural habitat perfectly.
They don’t seek out human homes on purpose. They’re following moisture gradients. A leaky foundation, poor drainage, or a humid basement is essentially an open invitation. Once inside, they tend to cluster in groups, which is why people often discover not one but dozens at a time.
What They Eat
Camel crickets are omnivores with a broad diet. They have chewing mouthparts and will feed on plants, animal products, other insects, and fabrics. Outdoors, they eat decaying organic matter, fungi, and plant material. Indoors, they can damage fine fabrics, houseplants, and stored clothing. Clemson University’s extension service notes they’ve even been reported feeding on clothing left on a clothesline.
They’re also cannibalistic. If one cricket gets stuck on a sticky trap, others will gather to eat it, sometimes getting stuck themselves in the process. This scavenging behavior is part of what makes them successful in low-resource environments like caves, where food is scarce and nothing goes to waste.
Are They Dangerous?
Camel crickets pose no real danger to people or pets. They don’t sting, they’re not venomous, and they don’t carry known diseases. The question of biting is slightly murkier: most entomologists say they don’t bite humans, though some sources suggest they could use their mouthparts to nip if one lands directly on your skin. In practice, this is rare and not medically significant.
Dogs and cats that eat camel crickets may get a mild upset stomach, but the insects are nontoxic. The main concern with an infestation is property damage to fabrics and houseplants, not health risks.
Keeping Them Out of Your Home
Because camel crickets follow moisture, reducing humidity is the single most effective control strategy. A dehumidifier in your basement or crawl space removes the conditions they need. Fix any water leaks, improve drainage around your foundation, and seal cracks or gaps where they might enter. Removing clutter like cardboard boxes, woodpiles, and leaf debris near your foundation eliminates hiding spots.
For crickets already inside, sticky traps work well. Commercial mouse glue traps are effective and inexpensive. You can bait them with a piece of dry cat food or any small bit of protein to draw crickets in faster. Place traps along walls and in corners where you’ve seen activity, since camel crickets tend to follow edges rather than cross open floor space.
Reducing outdoor lighting near entry points also helps. While camel crickets themselves avoid light, the insects they prey on are attracted to it, and a concentration of prey near your doors and windows can draw camel crickets closer to the house. Switching to yellow or sodium vapor bulbs reduces the insect activity that pulls them in.