Mole Crickets

Mole crickets generally fly between February and May with March and April being a peak time. Springtime flight is most evident during the evening when mole crickets are attracted to lights. Generally mole crickets will fly for less than two hours usually after dusk.   Mole cricket flights are the heaviest on warm clear nights following a rain. At this time, the male mole cricket is looking for a suitable site to mate. Once the site is located the male will “call” for the female. Generally the female will lay eggs near where she mated.

 

In southern Florida, mole cricket tunneling is active in March, and most of the southeastern United States in April. Insecticide treatments at this time are optional except where turf quality is reduced substantially. An insecticide application at this time does not replace treatments later in the season.   The two major mole crickets are the Southern mole cricket and the tawny mole cricket. The southern mole cricket is usually gray with white spots or mottling on the top of the area behind the head. Tawny mole crickets are usually tan rather than gray.