Every autumn they invade my basement. I guess they don’t like the cold weather outside, so they invite themselves indoors. I live in northern Virginia and never noticed these bugs until I bought a house with a basement.
They have long jointed legs with the hind legs bigger, resembling grasshopper legs. Their bodies are big, spotted brown, and oval shaped, unlike grasshoppers. They have long hairlike antennae that are always waving about. They can run fast and make small leaps with those grasshopperlike hind legs. The hind legs are easily broken off and tend to litter the floor after a while. They seem harmless but they are so large and skittish. What can they live on in my basement? I don’t leave food particles lying around. Do they eat smaller bugs? Then what do the smaller bugs live on? etc.
Thanks, Squink. Looks like the “house cricket” is the specific species I’m describing. But they don’t chirp! I always thought of crickets as chirpy. These bugs are silent.
I see your site tells of cricket infestations in Maryland. I grew up in northern Ohio and never saw these house crickets. I lived in a basement apartment in Denver and never saw them. Maybe their habitat is limited to the Mid-Atlantic region.
I get the same little beasties in my basement, Jomo Mojo, and I also live in NoVa. In some seasons, they do chirp, which makes me think that perhaps it has something to do with their breeding cycle.
By the way, if you have a cat, those house crickets can provide endless amusement for the feline. The cat will chase them and play with them for a while, then crunch down on them. Yum!