What is this brown bug with long antennae and wings?

"I found a brown bug in my house with really long antennae and wings. It kind of looks like a cricket or maybe a cockroach. What is it?"

Spotting a brown bug with long antennae and wings inside your home can be confusing because a few different insects fit that description. But it could be a camel cricket, sometimes also called a cave cricket or spider cricket. This insect is often described as a cricket that looks like a cockroach because of its coloring and quick movements.

An alternative culprit is the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). The house cricket is commonly used as food for exotic pets and bait for fish, so might have escaped if you’ve been feeding your pet lizard or getting in supplies for a fishing trip. How can you tell them apart? The house cricket chirps, and the camel cricket tends to jump when approached.

Other insects that can be mistaken for crickets or cockroaches include:

• Field crickets, which are dark brown or black and chirp at night
• Grasshoppers, which may wander indoors accidentally
• Cockroaches, which have flat bodies and move quickly; because they can fly short distances, they can be mistaken for brown bugs that jump

While crickets are mostly a nuisance, they can damage fabric, paper, or houseplants. Cockroaches, on the other hand, may contaminate surfaces. Either way, seeing one insect could mean more are hiding nearby.

We can help identify and remove bugs

If you’ve seen a brown cricket-like bug and are unsure whether you’ve seen a cricket, cockroach, or something else, our technicians can identify the pest and recommend a treatment plan. We can remove infestations and implement fixes like sealing cracks or reducing moisture.