Crickets are insects that belong to the order Orthoptera. Crickets are an important part of the ecosystem since they help in the breakdown of plant material. There are many species of crickets: house crickets, field crickets, ground crickets, cave crickets, mole crickets, camel crickets, snowy tree cricket and the northern mole crickets. Crickets live outdoors in wide open spaces like meadows, pastures and roads. In winter, they go under the rocks or logs to escape the cold. They are nocturnal and are very active during the nights. Crickets are omnivores and feed on almost anything- usually organic materials, plant decay, grass, fruits, seedling plants, fungi and even meat.

Camel crickets, also known as cave crickets or stone crickets, are generally found in caves and other cool damp places like house basements. They have very large hind legs, long slender antennae, head bent backward and drumstick-shaped femurs. They do not have wings. They are about one inch in length and brownish in color. They appear to be humpbacked because of their arched backs. They are also nocturnal but are not attracted to light unlike other crickets. They also do not chirp like house crickets.

Camel crickets usually reside in wells, hollow tress, under damp leaves/stones/logs/boards. They generally wander into houses by mistake and are basically harmless. Camel crickets can be controlled by cleaning out any damp and moist sites in and around the house. This includes dirty piles of stones, bricks or leaves. Sprinkle cricket baits available in the market; sticky traps can be used to trap crickets, which can then be flushed down the toilet or destroyed; call a good pest control company if the problem persists. Acephate (Orthene), carbaryl (Sevin), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), diazinon (Diazinon, Spectracide), Malathion, or propoxur (Baygon) are some commonly used insecticides for controlling camel crickets.