We have had a lot of black crickets in and around our house this year. Recently we've noticed these crickets in our house will sometimes emit a long string that is thin like thread or hair, black in color, and wiggles like a worm. It's really gross and kind of disturbing. Can you tell me what this is and why they do this?
Your crickets are infested with a parasite called a horsehair worm. You can read all about these bizarre creatures in this article we published last year: Untying the Knot