Greenhouse Camel Cricket (Diestrammena asynamora)

June 9^th.  I found this…

cricket in the kitchen one morning. I’m not sure how it got there, but there it was. I knew it was a cricket but I didn’t know what type it was. So, I consulted Bug Guide and tracked it down; it was a Greenhouse Camel Cricket (Diestrammena asynamora). Bug Guide confirmed my identification.

Its body was about one inch long; about two-to-three times the size of the native crickets we see. Needless to say…

I released it outside.

This is the first time I’ve seen one of these crickets in the 27-plus years we’ve lived here. I’ve since found a second one – perhaps the first one making its way back into the house.

Greenhouse Camel Crickets, also known as Cave Crickets, originated in Asia and were first sighted in the United States in the 19^th Century. 

Until recently, they were found mainly in greenhouses, hence their common name. However, now they are being found in homes in the eastern U.S. where they may outnumber the native crickets.They are harmless to humans and scavenge dead material in basements and garages.

The question will be – Will they become a major pest in the future?

Reference: 

- Epps MJ, Menninger HL, LaSala N, Dunn RR. Too big to be noticed: cryptic invasion of Asian camel crickets in North American homes. Peerj. 2014 Sep 2;2:e523

- Livescience. Invasive Camel Crickets Widespread in US homes 

- NC State News: Greenhouse Camel Crickets Now Common in U.S. Homes