It’s Retro Saturday where we post a blast from the Home Ec 101 past.

Dear Home Ec 101,

I have cave crickets in my house. These things are nasty. Luckily, the cats make sure they are quickly turned into cave cricket carcasses. I’m wondering, though, if this indicates a problem of some kind with the house (gaps that need closing, etc.).

Signed,

Lemony Crickets

Ivy says:

I had to go look up cave crickets, because I don’t believe I’ve seen them before. Yo, those suckers are nasty. I also read somewhere that they are a good source of protein. Keep that in mind if you are ever starving.

At any rate, they are likely coming into your house through little gaps or cracks somewhere. The most common places pests come into your house is through service conduits like cable, phone, electricity. Check those areas where they come into the house and if there are any gaps there, seal them up with caulking or expanding foam.

Remember to check your dryer vents, and if you have a window air conditioner, check to be sure there are no gaps or cracks. I have read that cave crickets like cool, dark areas like basements. If you have a basement, examine the walls and windows carefully to make sure there aren’t any cracks or spaces where they are coming in.

Finally check the seals on your doors. My back door has a small gap where ants like to come in every now and then. It’s on Mr. Ivy’s honey-do list, but it has low priority, so we will probably move before we get that gap sealed. Hopefully Mr. Crickets will be better at tackling his honey-do list than Mr. Ivy is.

Please submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com