What is mole cricket and how do you fight it?

Adult mole cricket specimen

Adult mole cricket specimen

Plants can be affected by a wide variety of insects that can seriously harm them. Although some of the most dangerous are easily prevented by keeping them well cared for, unfortunately there are others that will cause us some headaches, such as mole cricket.

The onion scorpion, its other popular name, is a very good burrower. It can penetrate damp soils up to 15 centimeters deep, which is more than enough to destroy the root system of most plants. Is there any way to avoid it?

What is a mole cricket?

The mole cricket is harmlessThe mole cricket is harmless

Image – Wikimedia Commons / Ge van ‘t Hoff

It is a grillothalpid insect whose scientific name is gryllotalpa gryllotalpa native to Western Europe and North Africa, although today it is also found in East Asia, South America, and the eastern United States. Armored in appearance, it has a robust brown body, 35 to 41mm long in males and 40 to 46mm in females.. These are dedicated to excavating underground galleries where they bury their eggs, while the males make them so that their song is stronger and more attractive to the females.

Feeding on roots, bulbs, tubers, and necks, they pose a serious problem for plants. In doing so, we will see that they are forming mountains next to the holes, and as the days go by the plant will yellow.

How to remove mole cricket from the garden?

If we want to eliminate the mole cricket or onion scorpion from the garden, and thus keep the plants protected, we have to bear in mind that during the winter they remain lethargic; That is why it will be in spring and until autumn when they are seen.

In principle, if there are few specimens they will not cause much damage, but a large number of them must be fought and controlled. For it, we recommend mixing water and potassium soap and apply it to the entrance hole of your shelter.

Soon after they will surface and we can capture and release them in a natural place away from the garden.

Another way to fight them is digging small holes about 30 inches deep and filling them with a mixture of equal parts straw and manure During autumn. The insects will get inside and the low temperatures will do the rest.

What damage does it cause?

As we have said, a few will not do much damage, but if we have a pest the crops will have a hard time. This little animal feeds on the roots, tubers, bulbs and necks of plantsConsequently, very few can be quiet in the presence of the mole cricket.

Moreover, if we enjoy a garden it will be highly, highly recommended to take preventive and / or curative measures, since onion, carrot, radish, potato, and similar plants are vulnerable to its attacks.

Can it be good to have some in the garden?

Insects play a very important role in ecosystems, as well as in gardens and orchards. In the specific case of the onion scorpion, it is interesting to know that also feeds on beetle larvaewhich are harmful to plants.

So, yes, if you have a few specimens of this species, and as long as it is native to the place where we live, it can be very positive for the garden and orchard.

What is the mole cricket bite like?

The mole cricket or onion scorpion is said to be dangerous, so much so that if it bites you it can even cause death. But the truth is that it’s totally harmless. It is easy to grasp, and the mouth only uses it for digging and feeding. Nothing more.

So you don’t have to worry about this at all.

The mole cricket lives among plants

The mole cricket lives among plants

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What is mole cricket and how do you fight it?

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