Mole Crickets in the Yard
go.ncsu.edu/readext?1008028
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲The big insect this year is turning out to be the mole cricket. There are actually two species of mole cricket that might cause damage to the turf by feeding on the roots of the grass. The more destructive of the two is the tawny mole cricket (Scapteriscus vicinus). The other one, the southern mole cricket (S. borellii), does feed a little on the roots of the grass, but is more interested in feeding on small creatures in the soil.
Tawny Mole Cricket
The damage that is typically seen is of an otherwise healthy grass that begins to yellow or thin out for no apparent reason. In March through May holes may appear in thin areas of turf where the males can be found calling for the females to come over and mate. After mating the males die and the females dig a little deeper in the soil, lay their eggs and then they die.
The eggs begin hatching in June, so the best time to apply an insect control product is in June and/or July. Killing the small, immature mole crickets is the best way to control this insect.
A good way to test a thinning area of turf to check for mole crickets is to mix 1 to 2 fluid ounces of liquid dish soap with a gallon of water and pour it over a 2 square foot area where there is an indication of the insects. The crickets don’t like the soap, so they will quickly come to the surface where they can be counted and identified.