Greenhouse camel crickets have apparently been overlooked by scientists for over two decades. Introduced to the U.S. during the 19th century, the vast number of greenhouse camel crickets revealed in the results of a current study has surprised researchers. According to multiple reports, the insects may possibly be invading are still spreading in U.S. homes.
According to Live Science, the new research is a citizen science project released on Sept. 2. It surprisingly revealed how the greenhouse camel crickets have risen to fame in the U.S. quickly by outnumbering crickets native to the U.S. and even humans in the United States.
The greenhouse camel crickets are an invasive species of camel cricket native to Asia, according to CBS News.
The new research from North Carolina State University found out that the greenhouse camel crickets have been spreading across the eastern United States and their population have already become more common in American basements than their native counterparts.
The new study on the greenhouse camel crickets was published in the journal "PeerJ", reports the University Herald. One may think the study was planned by the researchers, but the opposite is true.
According to CBS News, the study on the now native crickets was unprecedented and was only chanced upon a taxonomist at NC State University. The researcher reportedly found the invasive camel cricket in one of his colleagues, and thereupon decided to see how exactly common the species is in the U.S.
The greenhouse camel crickets are also known as "sprickets."
The research reportedly utilized a method wherein they asked people from the U.S. in their citizen science network to report sightings of the greenhouse camel crickets in their homes and yards. The people were also asked to send in photos of the specimens or simply send the physical specimens to the researchers via mail.
According to Live Science, the researchers also had an open survey on their website, yourwildlife.org.
Apparently, the new species of crickets is called Diestrammena asynamora, also known as a camel cricket from Asia. The new species of invasive greenhouse camel crickets reportedly established itself in the United States during the 19th century. During those days, it was rarely found outside greenhouses.
Initially, the scientists expected to find from people crickets which are native to North America. They are thick-bodied with a mottled brown in color, belonging to the genus "Ceuthophilus. "
Instead most of what they found were the greenhouse camel crickets which had a banded pattern on its legs and is more slender than the U.S. kind.
More than 90 percent of respondents reported encountering the greenhouse camel crickets, and most of them were from east of the Mississippi River.
Live Science also said that the species could also be extremely abundant.
When investigators examined the yards of 10 homes in Raleigh, North Carolina by setting up cricket traps, the researchers caught 50 individual greenhouse camel crickets in just two days, and all in a single yard.
According to CBS News, most of the insects were found in areas closest to homes.
Study leader Mary Jane Epps, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State, said in a statement, "We don't know what kind of impact this species has on local ecosystems, though it's possible that the greenhouse camel cricket could be driving out native camel cricket species in homes."
In a rough estimate, the scientists found that there could be 700 million greenhouse camel crickets in and around homes across the eastern United States.
The most surprising discovery however, reportedly came from photos people sent the researchers.
"There appears to be a second Asian species, Diestrammena japanica, that hasn't been formally reported in the U.S. before, but seems to be showing up in homes in the Northeast." Epps said.
She added, "However, that species has only been identified based on photos. We'd love to get a physical specimen to determine whether it is D. japanica."
Usually the word "invasion" is directly linked to fear, but with greenhouse camel crickets, the researchers said there is nothing to be worried about since the species do not pose any sort of threat to humans. According to the University Herald, the researchers are simply trying to learn more about a type of insect which has been overlooked for a long period of time.
Study co-author Dr. Holly Menninger, director of public science in the Your Wild Life lab at NCSU, said in a statement, "We know remarkably little about these camel crickets, such as their biology or how they interact with other species. We're interested in continuing to study them, and there's a lot to learn."
Epps also said, "The good news is that camel crickets don't bite or pose any kind of threat to humans."
There is no need to panic when one encounters greenhouse camel crickets, said researchers. Not only are they not harmful, but they can also be useful, reports CBS News.
Menninger said, "Because they are scavengers, camel crickets may actually provide an important service in our basements or garages, eating the dead stuff that accumulates there."
Greenhouse camel crickets are also not picky when it comes to food. A study of the species' foraging habits, published in "American Midland Naturalistin" in 2005 detailed how greenhouse camel crickets would eat anything, from cheese to dead fire ants and even human feces, according to Live Science.
To submit your own photos or observations of the invasive species, you can check out yourwildlife.org as the researchers of the study are still looking for data.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
