Crickets, despite being harmless, are nightmarish creatures. Their long, spidery legs and propensity for jumping toward anything that moves will give anyone the heebie jeebies. Now, research from NC State has found that one of the most common crickets found in American homes east of the Mississippi is an Asian import previously believed to be uncommon in the U.S. outside of commercial greenhouses.

Diestrammena asynamora, better known as the greenhouse camel cricket, was fist noted in the U.S. in the 19th century. According to a study and survey conducted by NC State researcher Dr. Mary Jane Epps, it’s not more common than ever, possibly pushing out its native camel cricket counterpart. The survey asked the public to inspect whether or not they had camel (also known as cave) crickets in their home. About 90% of respondents sent in photographs or physical specimens of the greenhouse camel variety.

They also studied the yards of 10 homes in the Raleigh, NC area, and found ample evidence of greenhouse camel crickets. Perhaps disturbingly, the crickets were more common in areas closest to the house itself.

The survey also led to a surprise finding, but one that needs further study before it’s confirmed:

“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 says. “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.”

Crickets will eat anything (including each other), so there may be some benefit to having them in the home, if for no other reason than to help manage dust and detritus that can accumulate in seldom-trafficked areas like basements.

“The good news is that camel crickets don’t bite or pose any kind of threat to humans,” says Epps.

“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,”  she added.