Horticulture Hotline 04/23/24
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
With some products being removed from the market, we are getting more complaints about mole crickets. They are terrible right now because they are up near the surface, tunneling, and mating to continue their species. Between looking at them, soil test, weeds, and the beautiful amaryllis, it has been a busy spring!
Mole crickets damage turf. Their damage is not caused by them eating the roots of the grass plants, as many people think, but is caused by them tunneling near the surface and separating the roots from the soil. When the roots are separated from the soil, the grass plant dries out and dies. This tunneling can cause big problems when there is little rainfall like we are having now. When the soil is dry, it separates quickly from the plant’s roots. Regular rains, irrigation or rolling the ground with a sod roller, can help keep the plant alive by keeping the roots in contact with the soil.
I worked with a property (Bermuda grass) several years ago that we fertilized extra to out grow any damaged, rolled the grass to keep the roots in contact with the soil, and watered extra to keep the roots from drying, so we would not have to use insecticides. This cultural way of dealing with the issue worked; however, a new boss was hired and they went back to using control products.
To control mole crickets, it is best to scout for them. Get two ounces of lemony dish soap in five gallons of water and slowly pour it over a 2 x 2 area where you may think you have mole crickets. The soap irritates their equivalent to our lungs, and brings them to the surface gasping for air. This will bring them to the surface (and other creatures) and depending on how many come to the surface, you can then decide whether to treat your yard or not. A golf course green because of putting would have a less tolerable amount than a home lawn.
This time of year, mole crickets are in their adult stage. Now they are tunneling near the surface and flying often towards lights. In late March early April mole crickets will be mating and flying. Often you will notice a little volcano with a hole in the center the size on a number 2 pencil. The male mole cricket uses this volcano to amplify his mating call. This is a good time to treat them because you will break up their life cycle before they produce new babies.
Later, in June and July, if you use a soap flush again; you will see the baby mole crickets. Baby mole crickets are easy to kill because they do not fly. Baby mole crickets look like little adults. You might also see some adults that are getting ready to die.
In the fall, the small mole crickets will have grown into young adults, have wings, and will tunnel near the surface and fly around. In the fall and winter these young mole crickets do a lot of damage. The grass is going dormant so the damage is harder to see, people tend to cut back on their irrigation, and we have low humidity, windy days. Depending on the amount of mole crickets in your yard, these are the three critical times to treat for them.
Many control products are available to kill mole crickets. Some work better depending on the stage of life of the mole cricket. There are baits, parasitic nematodes, contact killers, granular products, spray products, etc. When going after the baby mole cricket, always be sure to use a product that goes through the thatch layer and into the soil where the baby mole cricket resides. A lot of the baits (Intice), you do not water in. Depending on your population of mole crickets, type of soil (they like sand – easier to tunnel), and number of lights you have on your property that they attract to, the number of applications can vary greatly. Mole Crickets tend to inhabit the same area of a landscape year after year (usually because of lights or soil type), so with good mapping, you can concentrate your efforts in these areas and save money by using less product.
Amaryllis are much prettier than mole crickets, unless you are a mama mole cricket!
Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
