Pest Mole Crickets: Biology & Management
Eileen A. Buss, Entomology & Nematology Department, UF/IFAS
What’s the problem?
Mole crickets tunnel in the soil and feed on
plant roots, especially grasses.
Are there natural controls?
• Damage in pastures (Fig. 1) reduces forage
production and contributes to bahiagrass
decline.
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• Root and stem injury on vegetable plants
(Fig. 2) reduces plant growth and crop yields.
• Mole crickets reduce the aesthetics and
playability of grass on golf courses and
athletic fields (Fig. 3).
• Sod farms cannot lift quality grass that has a
weak root system caused by tunneling
damage (Fig. 4).
Why are they bothering me?
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Which species are pests?
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Adult mole crickets are attracted to lights left
on at night (Fig. 5) and moist soil (Fig. 6).
They disperse by flying in the spring and fall,
and by tunneling large distances at night.
They feed on nearly all grass species, but
prefer bahiagrass and bermudagrass.
• A parasitic wasp, Larra bicolor, feeds on nectar (Fig. 13)
and then lays an egg on an adult mole cricket. The larva
hatches and feeds externally on the adult’s body (Fig. 14).
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• The Brazilian red-eyed fly, Ormia depleta, listens to adult
mole cricket songs, and lays live larvae on adult mole
crickets that it finds (Fig. 15). The larvae feed internally,
then exit the body and pupate in the soil (Fig. 16).
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• The larvae of a predatory beetle, Pheropsophus
aequinoctialis, feed on mole cricket eggs, but the adults are
general scavengers (Figs. 17, 18). However, this beetle is
still in quarantine and has not been released outside.
• Insect-parasitic nematodes (Fig. 19) can be purchased
and applied on infested land. Applications should be done
when adults are present, from February to March, or
September to October. They enter a mole cricket through
the spiracles (breathing tubes) or mouth, release bacteria
that kill the pest, feed on the bacteria, and reproduce inside
the mole cricket (Fig. 20). Applications should be made late
in the day, with lots of water. These nematodes do not
damage plants.
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The three pest species arrived in the early
1900s by hitchhiking on ballast in ships. They
now occur throughout the southeastern U.S.
The three pest mole crickets species (tawny,
southern, and shortwinged mole crickets) can be
identified three ways: wing length, pronotum pattern,
and dactyl spacing.
• Wing length. As adults, tawny and southern mole
cricket wings are as long as their bodies. The wings
on shortwinged mole crickets are less than half as
long as their body.
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When should I apply insecticides?
The best time to control mole crickets with insecticides is just after egg hatch in late
spring or early summer, when the nymphs are young. The best way to time an
application is to do a “soap flush” (Fig. 21). Mix 1-2 TBSP of lemon liquid dish soap in
a gallon of water and pour it over the damaged area. Wait 1-3 minutes, and the mole
crickets will come to the surface. By using a soap flush, you can determine the size
and species of mole crickets.
• Pronotum pattern. A distinctive color pattern is just
behind the head. See Fig. 7 for the tawny mole
cricket, Fig. 8 for the southern mole cricket, and Fig.
9 for the shortwinged mole cricket patterns.
• Dactyls. Dactyls are the “tooth-like” claws on the
front legs, and the space between them is important.
Tawny mole crickets have a “V-shaped” dactyl space
(Fig. 10), and southerns and shortwings have “Ushaped” dactyl spaces (Figs. 11, 12).
Researchers found several natural enemies in South
America, where the pest mole crickets originated, and
released them in the U.S. to naturally suppress mole cricket
populations.
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If you collect an adult female mole cricket in the spring, cut open her abdomen and
feel her eggs. If they are soft, then she hasn’t started laying eggs. If they are hard
like a BB, then she is ready to lay eggs. Peak egg hatch will be several weeks later.
Many insecticides are available to control mole crickets. Consult your local
Cooperative Extension office, or visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for specific
recommendations.