MOLE CRICKET CONTROL

   This article is about MOLE CRICKET control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   There are several types of crickets in the United
States. Most are pests in and around the home. This
article will detail why Mole crickets are pests and 
then explain what treatment methods and application
techniques need to be used for their control.

   Mole crickets acquired their name because they
look like moles. Much like moles, they nest in lawns,
feed on grubs and worms and can cause damage to
valuable root systems. Though located in many 
states, Mole crickets are more of a problem in
the southeast and southwest. In fact, this species
of cricket is thought to be responsible for more
than $30,000,000.00 of damage each year in the
state of Florida alone!  Mostly nocturnal, mole
crickets forage for food in the night. In the
southern most regions, they will remain active
year round. Eggs will be laid continuously and
since adult females lay hundreds of eggs, lawns
can become infested within a year if left unattended.
Eggs hatch in less than a month and immature
crickets will quickly be foraging through the
turf looking for small organisms on which to
feed. This tunneling causes damage to plant and
grass root systems. Although young crickets
can jump fairly well, they will loose this
ability as they mature and eventually rely
on moving through the ground as their main
means of travel.  
   Mole crickets are good fliers. They have been
observed to fly more than 5 miles and may
do so during mating periods. Mole crickets are
attracted to lights which leads to houses. Once 
they land and begin looking for food on residential 
property, mole crickets will more than likely want 
to stay. As they begin creating nests, you will
start to notice burrows or holes which 
resemble moles. Although smaller, many people
mistake them for moles and try trapping with
conventional mole traps. Needless to say, 
this method of control will not work!
   If the damage mole crickets cause does not
concern you, the damage their predators will
cause may prompt you to treat. Mole crickets
are nutritious and once populations begin to
grow, expect several species of wildlife to 
come looking for the bounty. Common predators
of mole crickets include birds, rats, skunk,
armadillos, raccoon and foxes. These animals
will not have any noticeable impact on the
mole cricket population but they certainly will
destroy your lawn! Anyone of the above predators
will readily pull up and peel away turf in 
search of mole crickets to feed. This is a common
problem and if you need assistance dealing with
any of the above animals, go back to our article 
archive section where you will find in depth
information for just about all of them.
   To prevent or stop any of this from happening,
you will need to either prebait so that mole crickets
cannot establish themselves in your yard or, if
they are already active, you will have to take 
a more direct approach and start a chemical
treatment program.  If you have seen a lot
of mole crickets in the spring during mating
season, chances are some have found their way
into your turf. If a neighbor has a problem, it
is only a matter of time before some nest in
your yard. Either of these situations are more
than enough reason to do some preventative
maintenance. This is easy and inexpensive. 
Although baiting for mole crickets won't work
well on existing infestations, applying bait
before they nest will. Simply treat your turf
in the spring just after mating season and
one treatment will probably last all year. In
southern zones where populations breed 
throughout the year, you may have to apply some
twice. The best product to use is MAXFORCE GRANULES.
This bait is formulated as small granules  and
is easy to apply. Simply sprinkle it around the
yard and wait for rain. Mole crickets like to
forage for food around the surface of the soil
after a rain. Maxforce performs better when wet
so it is most readily accepted following a 
rain. Mole crickets in your area which are looking
for food will find the Maxforce, feed and die
off before they have a chance to establish 
themselves. Since Maxforce goes a long way, it
is the most cost effective treatment procedure
as well. However, baiting will not work if you
have a significant population. Once nests
are prevalent throughout the yard, you will
need to do a liquid treatment with another
product. This is why applying some of the bait
in the spring is a smart thing to do. Anyone
who has dealt with mole crickets know they are
both persistent and stubborn. For this reason
it is wise to do a little pretreating and try
to get them before they get your yard!!!
   Mole cricket populations that are established
will require some chemical treatments. Due to where
and how mole crickets behave and live, expect to
do several treatments over the course of any
growing season. If you are persistent and stick
to a regular schedule and do your applications
on time, you should be able to get them under 
control. Be sure to start treatments as soon
as you know you have a problem. Furthermore,
don't expect to do one treatment. The best
approach is to treat once a month for at least
three months. At the end of this time period
do a good inspection to see the impact your
effort has had. If you are confident no more
are thriving, you can stop treatments until
the next outbreak occurs. Since Mole Crickets
will reproduce rapidly and can migrate, it
is quite common for any lawn and turf area
which had a problem to be plagued again some
time in the future. Since mole crickets live down
in turf, it is best to treat right after a rain
and late in the day. Mole crickets tend to forage
to the surface in the evening so treating
right before this time is your best bet. Here is
another tip: Add 1 tablespoon of Lemon Joy to the 
sprayer for every 1000 sq/ft you are treating. This
means the Lemon Joy will get them to come out and
move around a lot more then normal. This moving
around insures they will come in contact with the
product being applied. The Lemon Joy will also help 
the product being applied to work better.
   Since Mole Crickets are hard to kill, you need
to be sure and use an active ingredient that will
work. For the longest time, we use to have a product
labeled for Mole Crickets called ORTHENE TURF WP.
This material was very active against mole crickets.
It does have a strong smell - like rotten eggs
or bad cabbage - but it works. At this time the
manufacturers are scaling down it's use and there
are no longer any labels with Mole Crickets still
listed. We suspect a lot of people may be still
be using it for this purpose since it is a proven
material. Another product which has become quite
popular in the turf industry for Mole Crickets is
Talstar. You can get either TALSTAR GRANULES or
TALSTAR CONCENTRATE. Both forms are odorless and
highly active on Mole Crickets. Since Talstar
uses an active which is relatively new in pest
control, the Mole Crickets are very vulnerable to
it and we have seen good results. The basic
difference between the two forms is that the
concentrate will go to work immediately where
as the granular form needs to be watered and takes
some time to become active. The other big
difference is that the liquid will have an 
immediate impact and be gone within a month
where as the granules will take a good week to
start working but could remain active for 1-2
months. Though most people will choose one over
the other for a host of reasons, follow these
simple guidelines when determining which form
to apply.

SOME GUIDELINES TO HELP CHOOSE WHICH FORM TO USE....

1) If you don't want to get any mole crickets
and you want to use something stronger then the
Maxforce listed above, apply the Granules every
2 months during the growing season in your region.
Not only will it keep the mole crickets away, but
the granules will prevent fireants, roaches and
just about any nuisance insect.
2) If you have a small amount of activity and
don't feel like doing the work required to spray
your yard with the liquid form, applications of
the granules may not work immediately but they
will resolve small populations effectively.
3) If you have either a small amount or a large
population of mole crickets, you can opt to use
the liquid form. This will go to work immediately
and knock out all which are active though you
will have to perform a little more work to get it
applied. Remember also that you will have to
reapply some every month to get complete control.
4) If you have a big population and want to do the
very best application, use both. First, apply the
granules over the targeted turf. Next, spray the
Concentrate over the top. The water from the spray
will help to get the granules going and the 
liquid Talstar will provide some immediate relief.
Clearly this is the best approach to use if you
have a current infestation and want to get quick
control.
   If you decide to do some spraying, the use of
a lot of water is suggested. This will help insure
your efforts make it down into the turf far enough
to impact the mole crickets residing there. Mole
crickets like to hide and go deep when it gets
hot or dry. For this reason wet, damp turf is
better suited to both reach the crickets better
and to distribute the product being applied
more thoroughly. Though there are many types of
sprayers that can be used, the best is a hose
end sprayer. These are types which attach to your
garden hose and use a lot of water when spraying.
We have a 6 GALLON HOSE END which is ideal for
this job. It is both easy to use and accurate.
Furthermore, it forces you to apply a lot of
water which is critical to the success of any
mole cricket application.
   Mole crickets can cause a lot of damage in the
yard. Their activity disrupts and kills plant
roots. To keep Mole crickets from nesting in
your turf, treat with Maxforce Granules once or
twice a year. If you want to use something a
little stronger, apply the Talstar Granules.
For treating current activity, use some Talstar
Concentrate and be sure to add some Lemon Joy
to the sprayer. This will help "flush" resident
mole crickets so they are sure to come in
contact with the material being applied.

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