What damage do these insects cause?
They are of two types:
- either seedling disruptions caused by the superficial galleries dug by these insects;
- either more or less significant bites on the roots of vegetable or floral plants.
It can also damage underground networks (electric cables, water pipes, gas pipes, etc.). It can also cause ground subsidence, which can be dangerous for people or animals walking on it. This damage can be costly to repair and requires professional intervention.
How to get rid of the mole cricket?
The mole cricket can therefore be very harmful to crops and plants by digging galleries in the soil and feeding on roots or tubers. Its long and complex evolutionary cycle makes its fight difficult. However, there are ways to get rid of them, such as poisoned bait or insecticide granules. It is also possible to prevent its appearance by adopting suitable cultural practices.
5 tips and tricks to fight against the mole cricket:
- Promote biodiversityby attracting natural predators of the mole cricket (hedgehogs, moles, birds, reptiles, etc.).
- Set traps, by digging holes 10 cm in diameter and 15 cm deep, filled with soapy water or beer. Attracted by humidity, they will fall into the trap and drown.
- Use natural repellents, such as garlic, elderberry or tansy, giving off an unpleasant odor that the mole cricket cannot stand. They can be planted around the vegetable garden or made into decoctions to spray on the ground.
- Dig the soil in autumn or spring, to destroy galleries and nests. It is also possible to use a garden fork to probe the soil and manually extract insects.
- Avoid overwatering the soil, in this way, you limit the humidity which favors the mole cricket. You can also mulch your soil with cardboard or newspaper to prevent this pest from digging.
Baits can be used consisting of bran, wheat, flour and broken rice mixed with an insecticide (lindane, for example) and placed in small piles in the crops. There are also granules, which are easy to use (but not really ecological… so we do not recommend!).
How does the mole cricket’s evolutionary cycle take place?
The evolutionary cycle, which largely takes place in the ground, lasts at least eighteen months. Mating, nocturnal, takes place at the beginning of summer. After fertilization, the female lays several hundred eggs in a nest (a ball of earth generally the size of a chicken egg) located about ten centimeters deep.
Hatching begins at the end of June and the young initially remain grouped then each dig a gallery. Their diet is mixed, consisting of both small animals and roots or tubers.
The following year, individuals having reached the adult stage spend the winter and do not reproduce until the following summer. The male emits, especially in the evening, a fairly soft song that has been compared to that of the green tree frog. Massive flights can sometimes be observed on hot and stormy nights.
It is mainly present in the temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North Africa.