MOLE CRICKETS TUNNELING THROUGH SPRING

Spring is in the air! As for the dirt though could by lying more mole crickets. Mole crickets lay their eggs from February to March. If you didn’t know mole crickets can cause mass turf destruction. When they’re adults they can grow as big as an inch, and they harm the turf through tunneling and uprooting grasses. They also like to feed heavily on the roots.

Disturbed soil where adults emerge from the ground is an early sign of spring activity. Uprooted seedlings and raised mole like runways just below the soils surface show where their spade like front legs have tunneled through the soil. By the time dead turf becomes visible in the late summer the damage is already done. You want to treat this problem before it has gone this far. The life cycle of a mole cricket starts with the eggs, then several nymph stages before they finally become an adult. One generation per year but sometimes in the south (lucky us) there can be two.

Mole crickets over winter take their final adult stages, then emerge in spring to mate when the soil warms. The male will die after mating. As for the female, she will dig up to 10 inches deep into the moist soil to lay up to 100-150 eggs before they die. The eggs hatch 10-40 days depending on soil temperature, 3 weeks being the most common.

Late spring into early summer the damage has already been started. With each molting stage they become more destructive and resistant to control. Warm season grass, such as Bermuda grass and Bahia grass are favorite targets. Since mole cricket nymphs strike during the grasses peak growth their damage often stays hidden until its too late.

Preventing mole cricket damage requires hitting the highly destructive nymphs before the prime time for the treatment has passed and before the damage can be seen. The areas with adult activity in spring are great indicators of where eggs are and where turf should be treated when nymphs hatch. Treating adults during their spring rituals can reduce tunneling and egg laying but follow up nymph treatments are essential to successful control. The nymphs are most vulnerable in late spring and early summer when newly hatched. As they grow, they burrow deeper into the soil more effectively evading treatments.

If you suspect mole crickets, use a soapy water flush to bring them out. If the soil is dry water it well. They stay deeper in dryer soil. Moisture will bring them higher up. By monitoring spring activity and proactively treating those areas before nymph damage ever shows you can hit these pests most effectively. Don’t let a mole cricket issue put you at stress because here at Palm Coast Pest Control we have a team of highly trained professionals that are here to help you!