Home Gardening

Mole crickets love turf battles
The Coast Gardener Newspaper and Web Column - March 2, 2002

We all love a lush, healthy lawn. It takes a lot of effort to get any lawn to a point of satisfaction and keeping it that way takes even more work. Sometimes, however, your lawn can become a battleground between you and a host of insects.

The mole cricket is one such insect that is all too familiar to many South Mississippians. This pesky insect feeds on grass roots, especially in areas with sandy soils along the Coast. Mole crickets definitely are not some of nature's most elegant insect specimens. Adults are odd-looking light brown crickets often tinged with a green color. The front legs are short, flat, and shaped like miniature shovels well equipped for digging up your yard. The immature insects, or nymphs, look the same. They are just much smaller. Both, however, feed on the grass roots.

Simply walking across your grass can tell you if you have an infestation. The sod will have an unusual fluffiness to it. Closer examination will reveal holes in the ground about the size of a pencil. Small burrowing trails and damaged roots can also be seen. Their burrows look like small mole runways.

There is an easy way to confirm the presence of mole crickets in your lawn. Mix about one ounce of dishwashing liquid to one gallon of water. Pour the sudsy liquid slowly over about four feet of the suspected area. If the critters are there, they will crawl to the surface.

The key to any management program is scouting for the insects early in the year. Waiting too long to begin treatment will only cause mole cricket numbers to be too high to handle effectively.

Mole crickets can be controlled using an insecticide containing the active ingredient acephate. It is important NOT to water the treated area for at least 24 hours after application. Read and follow any pesticide label carefully.

Remember, now is the time to begin scouting your lawn and garden for insect and disease problems. The earlier you can get a handle on a disease or insect problem, the happier you will be.

These archived gardening columns were written by Chance McDavid, former Harrison County Extension Agent.