How to Identify, Prevent, and Get Rid of Mole Crickets in Your Lawn
The Florida Homeowner’s Guide to Mole Cricket Damage & Control
When you start seeing strange, spongy patches and little trails of raised soil in your lawn, it’s enough to make your stomach sink. What’s happening beneath the surface? Unfortunately, it could be mole crickets.
When it comes to destroying underground turf, these strange-looking insects are clearly good at it. They burrow through the ground, destroying the roots of your grass and the appearance of your lawn. However, you can defeat these invaders and regain your lawn by contacting Luv-A-Lawn and following some of our tips below.
What Are Mole Crickets?
These burrowing insects have beady black eyes, a grayish-brown, velvety body, and wide front legs that are ideal for digging. They’re about an inch or two long and are similar to moles, hence the name.
Back in the early 1900s, they hitched a ride from South America and discovered that our sandy soils were ideal for them. That’s why they made their homes in Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, the Carolinas, and the Southeast.
The primary invasive mole crickets to worry about are the southern mole cricket, tawny mole cricket, and short-winged mole cricket. The northern mole cricket, however, is a native insect and not nearly as big a nuisance as its relatives.
Signs of Mole Cricket Damage in Florida
Keep an eye out for these telltale symptoms of a mole cricket infestation:
- Surface Tunneling: Look for elevated, ridge-like soil trails. They usually look like tiny earthquake fissures.
- Spongy Turf: Because the roots have been cut off from the soil beneath, the grass will feel loose and springy underfoot.
- Brown Patches: As the damage gets worse, irregular patches of grass typically appear in late summer and fall. They turn brown, wilt, and die.
- More Critters: Increased activity from armadillos, birds, and raccoons that dig up your lawn to feed on the crickets is known as secondary damage.
- Positive ID Test: Verify their existence with a straightforward “soap flush.” Pour one gallon of water and two tablespoons of dish soap over a 1-2 square foot area. In a few minutes, crickets will come to the surface.
Mole Cricket Life Cycle
The key to timing your counterattack is understanding their life cycle. In the spring, adults deposit their eggs deep in damp soil. Those eggs hatch into nymphs, which are tiny, wingless replicas of the adults, by early summer.
The actual chaos occurs during this nymphal stage. All summer and into early fall, they’re growing, hungry, and feeding nonstop. That’s when your lawn is most at risk of their destructive burrowing. After that, they reach adulthood, and the cycle repeats.
There are even two generations per year in some warmer climates. As older nymphs or adults, starting around October, they hibernate deeper underground to avoid the cold and wait for spring to begin the whole ordeal again.
Keep in mind that some differences in life cycles and timing exist across regions.
- Florida: Mole crickets can remain active year-round but typically peak in activity in spring and fall.
- Carolinas & Texas: There’s usually a single generation that is most active from June through September.
- Deep South: This is where you may get two generations per year.
Grass Types Most at Risk for Mole Crickets
Mole crickets can have a particular diet. Tender-rooted grasses in sandy, soft soil (that they can tunnel through) are their preferred targets.
The most susceptible grasses are Bermuda and Bahia. They’re a prime target because of their root systems and growth habits, which provide an ideal environment for mole crickets.
St. Augustine is also highly susceptible, but mainly just to the short-winged mole cricket.
Zoysia and Centipede grass are less frequently impacted. Mole crickets usually find these grasses less appetizing. They often only sustain serious harm during extremely bad infestations when the insects’ favorite food sources are limited.
How to Get Rid of Mole Crickets
So what can you do? There are a range of options, from mild organic methods to chemical treatments. The severity of the infestation and your level of comfort will determine the best course of action.
Natural & Biological Controls
Beneficial Nematodes: These tiny, worm-like creatures are a mole cricket’s worst enemy. You spray them on your lawn after combining them with water. They stop the nymphs in their tracks by actively seeking them out and infecting them. Nature takes care of pests on its own.
The Larra Wasp is a unique predator. This wasp hunts mole crickets, stinging them and depositing eggs on them. These helpful wasps can be drawn to your yard by planting wildflowers like shrubby false buttonweed.
Natural Predators: Provide a welcoming habitat for frogs, ground beetles, and birds to support nature’s pest control. These predators will gladly hunt mole crickets.
Neem Oil: This natural insect repellent and insecticide is an organic spray. It may take several applications, but when combined with water and sprayed on your lawn, it can change the way young nymphs feed and discourage adults from visiting treated areas.
Specific Plants: Strong-smelling herbs like peppermint, citronella, and lemongrass can be planted strategically around the edge of your lawn to help create a natural barrier.
DIY & Home Remedies
The Soap Flush: For small areas, the same test you use for identification can also be used as a direct control method. You can get rid of them once they come to the surface. It’s quick and chemical-free.
Honey-Glass Jar Trap: This easy trap attracts and catches mole crickets using sweet bait. Put a spoonful of honey in the bottom of a glass jar that has been buried with the rim flush with the soil, then cover it with a loose stone. Crickets can’t climb back out at night after falling in while exploring the scent.
Vinegar or Essential Oil Sprays: Mole crickets may be deterred from tunneling through treated soil by the harsh acidity or overpowering smell when applied to the lawn. However, the effects may be short-lived, so frequent reapplication may be necessary.
Chemical Control Options
If you have a widespread infestation, chemical controls might be necessary. When choosing an insecticide, look for active ingredients like bifenthrin, which is a synthetic pyrethroid that’s effective as a surface barrier. Or there’s also trichlorfon (dylox). It’s a classic, fast-acting option for control of severe infestations.
Unless you’re using bait, always give your lawn a light watering before and after applying granular insecticides. This facilitates the product’s descent into the crickets’ living root zone.
Additionally, since these insects are nocturnal, you want the product to be fresh and ready for them when they become active, so apply it in the late afternoon or early evening.
Our expert technicians can apply specialized treatments for a number of pests. Be sure to get in touch with us if you want to solve your mole cricket problem as quickly as possible!
Prevention & Lawn Care Practices
To be honest, one of the best ways to get rid of mole crickets is to make your lawn an unpleasant place for them to be. Perhaps the best defense? A healthy, thick turf. Other ideas?
- Mow High: Your grass will be more resilient if you keep it a little taller since this promotes deeper root systems.
- Water Deeply & Infrequently: The surface remains soft and welcoming with shallow, frequent watering. Stronger roots grow and soil tunneling is hindered by deep, infrequent watering.
- Dethatch: Mole crickets love a thick layer of thatch. Frequent dethatching destroys their habitat and drives them out.
- Watch Your Lights: Adults are drawn to lights during mating season. Try not to attract them by turning off any extraneous outdoor lights.
When Should You Call a Professional?
The sooner, the better! But you should give hiring a professional serious consideration if:
- You’ve attempted DIY ideas without success.
- The damaged patches aren’t limited to just one or two areas.
- You want to know that it’s being handled by someone with professional knowledge and commercial-grade products.
Professionals possess the expertise to accurately identify the species and life cycle stage in order to apply the appropriate product at the ideal time. Plus, we have access to formulations that are not available to the general public.
FAQ About Mole Crickets
Do mole crickets bite or harm humans?
Not at all. You and your pets aren’t at risk. Your grass roots are the only thing that interests them.
How deep do they tunnel?
They typically burrow 4–12 inches, but in order to withstand the colder winter months, they may dig much deeper.
How long do mole crickets live?
Their typical lifespan is 1–2 years.
Do mole crickets fly?
Yes, most adults can. This is one of the ways they spread to new lawns.
How many mole crickets is an infestation?
One mole cricket is too many. But it’s really time to act if your 2-square-foot soap flush yields 2-4 crickets.
Ready to Get Rid of Mole Crickets?
We know how upsetting it is to see your lawn destroyed by an “invisible” pest. However, mole crickets can be beaten. You can eliminate them and get your lawn looking its best if you know a little bit about their habits and have the appropriate plan.
Achieve peace of mind and a healthy, green lawn by getting in touch with Luv-A-Lawn today! We proudly serve several Florida cities and the surrounding communities, ensuring high-quality lawn care and pest control services across the region: