9.11.2007

Number 1 "hit" this week.... & Tailsday


House Hunter ATTACKATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now which one is my tail and which one is the wet/dry sucking machine??

Usually I don't pay all that much attention to the links that bring people to my blog. Today I was checking and found that as of now we should declare official "Camel Cricket Season". They are also known as "Cave Crickets". Many of you will remember my escapades into the munching of these large ugly bugs more roachy than crickety but since people are searching for the creatures and finding me, I figured I'd let people know the "pet friendly" way to rid your home of these creatures.

****Please be advised that this is just an account of things that worked for us. I will not be held liable for any adverse advise. I'm just a cat."****

Lets start with a story....A long, long time ago....(say a year ago) the Chip Man walked down to the basement to discover an odd looking creature. He didn't think too much of the bug but within a few days our basement was FULL of these disgusting (yet mildly tasty) bugs. The Chip Man toiled for 2 hours every single night with these creatures and finally was able to rid our happy home.

As house hunter you will recall I did eat one. It ventured into the kitchen and Meowmy and the Chip Man came home from Trader Joe's just as I cornered the creature. They waited on the deck while I finished. And yes, I yakked ONE leg back up but it was tickling my throat.

The Chip Man says that these creatures LOVE piles of wood and other dark damp spots (like under our deck). If you have anything you can remove, start there. Next you should make sure that your house is SEALED tight like a drum. We live in a 80 year old house and there were cracks at the foundation where these creatures happily hopped in. He used that "Stuff" stuff that is expanding foam insulation.

Next, you must use Seven. Yes its a nasty chemical and that's why you only use it Out of Doors and you should make sure that all cats (and other pets) are indoors. Not a problem for us, we're always inside. Spray the Seven with one of those canisters that attaches to a hose for fertilizer and stuff. That properly mixes the stuff. Spray liberally. The Chip Man used A LOT. That will keep the camel crickets away from your house.

Next is the real battle. The crickets in your house. Use "spot killer" on them such as RAID which is a nerve agent and NOT a poison. After you have spot killed the beasties (which actually have backward messed up eyes so if they are looking at you and try to hop away, they actually hop towards you!!). You'll get used to their antics.....

After crickets have been killed, suck them up with a shop-vac. Do not make the woman in your house do this if at all possible. She will hate the man at all costs. They're icky alive, they're ickier dead.

You may have to work at this for about a week which is why its important to seal the house and spray Out of Doors. Do not let cats into the treated area!!! We aren't allowed in our Dungeon Room anyway so we were safe.

There you have it! Stay Safe and Camel Cricket/Cave Cricket free!!

*****This has been a PSA for Cats and those who hate Camel/Cave Crickets*****


I have removed the image due to WAY too much traffic and hot linking. BOOOOOOOOOOOO!

19 comments:

michico*Adan*Lego-小芥*阿丹*樂高 said...

This crickets is scarey~!
I really hate bugs, I always see one and kill one, as in my ability to kill.

Sometimes I just afraid I kill too much, the crickets story is really fearful~!

Your tail is awesome~!!!!! I love it~!

HRH Yao-Lin said...

I CANNOT believe you had those in your house!! My human would pack a bag and leave if she found one of those! Wow you are very brave Latte! x

Mickey's Musings said...

Not only are they ugly, thet are so noisy!!! Good job,Latte and good tips too.

Tara said...

Mom says Ewwww.... I say YUMMM! I'll go hunting with you anytime Latte!
Tara

The Furry Kids said...

Momma says "ewwwwww". It's a good thing that humans have us trusty PBKs to deal with all this stuff. That guy looks pretty tasty.

Love,
Tazo

Parker said...

Ewwwwwwww!!!!!! <----- That was Mommy.
MMMMMmmmmm! <------That was me!

Daisy said...

That is one very ugly bug. Looks pretty crunchy, too.

Latte, that is a cute picture of you in mid-attack mode.

The Meezers or Billy said...

mommy almost dropped the laptop. if these were in our house, she would just move.

The Fluffy Tribe said...

ewwwwwww grosssssssss ~the fluffy tribe

Anonymous said...

Binkies Latte - you won! DKM is in Dallas.

Mosaic Cats said...

YOU have a TRADER JOE'S?????
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
(Mosaic Lady wails in the background.)

Zippy, Sadie, Speedy and M'Gee said...

We had one normal cricket in da basement dis year...mom squished it! All three of us yelled "no fair". Are cave crickets tasty? Maybe we would like to snack on dem...

ASTOR CATS said...

We like buggies but that cricket looks scary. We enjoy a moth now an again or even a lizzard but that thing gots a lota legs.

Midnite & Stray Kitty

Tyler said...

So Latte how do they rate on a scale of one to five? Are they yummy? Unfortunately for me, I'll never taste one unless they are made into a new Temptation flavor...

Samantha & Mom said...

Mom says those are ugly bugs and she is glad we don't have them here! They look tasty to us! We want to hear about your big adventure at Petsmart!
Do tell!
Your FL furiends,

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Bonnie Underfoot said...

Ew. I simply won't have these in my house. Any tips for earwigs?

We had regular crickets (and earwigs) at the first house, and one got stuck in the door jam, in a hole below where the bolt latches. It teased me for a week, chirping and never emerging. My beans unsuccessfully tried to get it out for me. Yours sound more useful than mine.

Bonnie Underfoot said...

PS That "Great Stuff" foam insulation is sometimes used by model railroaders to make light-weight rolling mountains. It looks best if they're sculpted with a Shureform tool or covered with plaster gauze. As is, they look like mountains squeezed from a toothpaste bottle.

I know this because I've squeezed through the club's models when they were stored in our basement. I was... removing cobwebs! Yes, that's it.

Donny and Marie and Casey said...

Ew!!!!!...but can I play with it??

~Marie