Penny For Your Thoughts
By: Nancy Whitaker
Yikes! What is it? Does it bite, fly, walk, hop or jump? As we all are getting summer chores done outside now, the critters and insects, birds and bees are busy building nests.
One such insect who is looking for a nice warm place to stay is a spricket, also known as a camel cricket.
I don’t know if I ever saw one or not, but these bugs are the creepy beasts of some people’s nightmares. They are actually crickets but they have a hunched back and also look like a spider. I am actually scared of a cricket, let alone one that looks like a spider.
These insects love dark places and basements, and while it is bad enough they resemble the dreaded spider, they also can jump like a cricket. If you are not expecting it, they can scare the daylights out of you.
Nothing will make kids scream louder than finding a camel cricket (spricket) in the basement. And really, who can blame anyone for freaking out when they see one? There’s something just wrong with a giant bug that looks like its mama was a spider and its papa was a cricket.
Even though they look like a spider, they do not have the fangs or the ability to bite. However, once they congregate in your home, they can eat indoor plants, other insects and even fabric. This is why they are in your basement. Our basements and garages spell P-A-R-T-Y time for these party bugs. I guess there is more safety in numbers pthat is why they say the sprickets congregate with those of its kind. (I really think it is more like a commune.)
Of course, it would not be a spricket party without the insects finding a mate. Sprickets rely on their sense of smell to seek out a partner. Hmmm. I wonder if they are looking for Old Spice or Calvin Klein? Some studies show that male sprickets have long spurs on their legs which can be used to duke it out over a girl spricket.
In some countries, crickets are delicacies and some consider them a sign of good luck. As for me, I yell and scream like a banshee if I ever see a cricket, spricket or any kind of hopper, jumper or biter.
If anyone has ever observed a camel cricket or spricket, let me know. Also, if you know to chase them away from partying in our homes, I will give you a Penny for Your Thoughts.
