Mole Cricket
The Life Of A Mole Cricket
The mole cricket is generally considered as a pest, though we rarely catch a glimpse of this ground dwelling nocturnal creature. He is tunneled underground, where his home is forged of intricate and wide spreading avenues. This networking can often interfere with the root systems of the plants on the agricultural plots where he prefers to live, and for this reason he is generally considered as an unwelcome guest. In Asia, the mole cricket is fried and eaten a staple for the locals, and as a delicacy to culture seeking tourists. Though this may seem a bit, well, disgusting to likes of me, they are quite a healthy treat and I hear that they don’t taste all that bad. I’ll take their word for it.
The mole cricket resides on every continent in the world save for Antarctica, and as such is considered plentiful and wide spread. There are soil erosion and depletion issues which have severed his numbers over the past twenty years, but there is no indication that these pesky little diggers are under danger of extinguishment. With the exception of the southern mole cricket, there is considerable damage to be had when visited by these insects. They will devour tubers and root systems on young, tender vegetation, and then work above ground during the night time hours. The diet is broad, including tomato, celery, pea, strawberry, beet, cabbage, potato, spinach, lettuce, tobacco, and on and on. With this little guy, quantity not quality is the key factor.
Of the three types of mole cricket indigenes to North America, the most damaging are the short winged mole cricket and the tawny mole cricket, who are the most likely to burrow beneath your garden plot and make fast work of your laborious efforts. The southern mole cricket, however, will only eat other insects, and is considered as a help to his environment rather than a hindrance.
This type of cricket can and will fly, the male of any species traveling up to 5 miles during the mating season. They weather this flight pattern rather well, and survive the mating season to go dormant via hibernation during the winter months. It is not hard to confuse some crickets with large ants or even with termites, so control can be a bit difficult to accomplish. If you feel that you may have some mole cricket issues within your garden, there are a few things that you can do to slow the process of their destruction. Aerate your garden rows often, getting well between the plants and as deep as you can go. This may discourage the mole cricket from seeking shelter here. Also, there are pesticide solutions which can be applied to your more mature plants to prevent further damage.