The mole cricket is a malicious pest of garden crops. People call her the cabbage girl because she loves cabbage. Moreover, she eats both juicy heads of cabbage and leaves. Having discovered an adult or larvae in the garden, urgent measures should be taken to preserve the crop. The larvae are somewhat similar in appearance to a shrimp, and the adult insect is similar to a cricket. This is an omnivorous insect that spoils plant roots, root crops, seeds and greenery.
Moreover, not only adults, but also their larvae pose a danger. The main thing is to start an effective fight in time. There are a lot of control methods, but you need to remember that the insect quickly gets used to the effects of various drugs. When choosing a method of control, a number of factors should be taken into account. This is the only way to deal with a mole cricket.
External features
Many people are concerned about the question of who the bear is. There are debates regarding two families: beetles or insects. The scientific classification is as follows:
- Class insects.
- Order Orthoptera.
- Superfamily Cricketaceae.
- The mole cricket family.
- Genus of mole cricket.
On a note!
The origin of this name can be explained by the Latin sound of the bear. It is designated as Gryllotalpa. In translation it sounds like a mole cricket, which is quite explainable by the external features of the mole cricket.
The optimal place where the insect lives is warm and moist soil. In the photo of the garden mole cricket you can see its impressive size, which can reach 8 cm in length, excluding paws and whiskers.
The mole cricket insect in the photo looks very menacing. The front part of the beetle is equipped with a powerful mouthparts and paws that resemble the limbs of a mole.
Appearance of the mole cricket
Upon further examination of the photo of the cabbage plant, attention is drawn to the shell, which begins immediately after the head. In case of danger, the mole cricket beetle hides its head in it. The adult also has wings on its abdomen, which are used by insects only during the process of reproduction.
To fully describe the structure of the mole cricket, it is important to mention its following features:
- Hind springy legs. With their help, the bear can jump.
- There are small claws on the front paws. They allow the insect to quickly dig through hard and dry soil.
- A photograph of a mole cricket shows a pair of whiskers on the front of its head. With their help, the insect catches odors.
- The hearing aid is located on the shins of the forelimbs.
The total lifespan of a mole cricket, taking into account the larval stage and other stages of maturation, is 3 years. Of these, the cabbage weed spends most of its life in the larval stage and only 1 year as an adult. The period for which a mole cricket lives may vary depending on the conditions surrounding it.
On a note!
During drought, the large cabbage grass travels considerable distances or goes deeper into the ground.
The following types of insects are known:
- ordinary;
- African;
- ten-legged;
- steppe;
- single-pin.
The easiest way to distinguish a male from a female is by the venation of the elytra. There are also individuals in which wing formation does not occur. These can be both males and females.
Food preferences
What the mole cricket eats is of interest to gardeners, gardeners, and lovers of flora and fauna. The mole cricket insect is a predator that prefers plant foods.
The mole cricket eats the soil's contents. It feeds on roots, roots, and the green part of plants that are located directly above the soil. Finds food in the depths of the earth - small insects, larvae, earthworms. A delicacy is the pupa of other insects, caterpillars, and butterflies.
Interesting!
Its feeding characteristics make the mole cricket both a useful and harmful creature. In the forest, the insect brings great benefits - it loosens the soil, saturates it with oxygen, and destroys pests. In the garden, in the garden, they are trying to get rid of mole crickets with all their might. In garden beds, it chews through green stems, destroys the root system, and gnaws root crops. Does not allow seedlings to take root or seeds to germinate.
Lifestyle
The small individual leads a fairly active lifestyle. Most of it occurs at night. At this time, the insect actively feeds, digs passages and cares for the larvae. During the day they can continue their activities, but with less enthusiasm.
The mole cricket and its larvae adapt well to new conditions and even know how to adapt to poisons of various species. Cabbage grass has few natural enemies, as it is very difficult to detect underground.
Enemies of the mole cricket
Among those who eat mole crickets are:
- moles;
- shrew;
- rooks;
- hoopoes;
- starlings.
On a note!
Also, for the mole cricket and its larvae, a rodent of any species that will live in the same area as it poses a great danger.
Fighting methods
It is not difficult to understand that there are mole crickets in the area. In this case, hillocks of earth appear on the soil surface with the simultaneous disappearance of vegetation around them. After laying eggs in the nest, the female clears the ground of plants so that they do not interfere with the sun's rays to warm her future offspring.
The enormous harm caused by the adult mole cricket and its larvae forces gardeners to begin fighting it as soon as the first signs of their presence appear on the site. It would be a good idea to take some preventive measures to prevent damage to the crop.
You can fight this insect in different ways, both traditional and more modern. To select the most optimal option, it is necessary to take into account climatic features, soil characteristics and the type of pest. To quickly eliminate the threat, it is recommended to approach extermination in a comprehensive manner, combining several control methods. Complete destruction of a mole cricket in a garden plot takes 2-3 years.
At the initial stage of treatment, it is preferable to use safe methods to protect the soil and plants from contamination with chemicals. Popular methods of destroying mole cricket larvae and adult specimens include:
- scaring;
- use of special traps;
- destruction of nests;
- loosening the soil during the growing season;
- folk remedies and chemical preparations.
Agrotechnical method
This method of fighting mole crickets involves digging up the soil in the spring, after the snow has melted. Mechanical soil treatment allows you to destroy the dug passages, which significantly complicates their movement around the site.
This method can destroy egg clutches, adult insects and their larvae. The digging depth should be 15 cm. This treatment of the garden plot or vegetable garden can be repeated after the end of the growing season in the fall.
Manure traps
These insects prefer to settle in fresh manure, which can be successfully used to eliminate them. In the fall, it is recommended to make holes with sides of 50 cm along the entire perimeter of the site. They should be filled to the top with organic fertilizer.
Layout of manure traps
As cold weather approaches, insects will move into these manure pits to settle in for winter hibernation. When frost hits, holes should be dug out and manure should be spread over the surface of the soil. The cold will destroy all pests.
Water with oil or soap
If pest beetle passages are detected, you need to pour a little oil or water into them, after dissolving liquid soap in it. After this, you need to wait until the mole cricket comes to the surface, then catch it and destroy it.
This method cannot be called the most effective. After all, you never know in advance how deep the tunnel is, or whether there are insects in it at all.
Green soap for pests - instructions.
Alcohol traps
Mole crickets are attracted to the aroma of beer, which can be used to destroy them. It is necessary to bury a glass jar or bottle in the soil so that its edge is at ground level. You need to pour beer into the container to a third of its volume. The neck should be covered, leaving a gap of 1.5-2 cm.
Beer trap
At night, pests attracted by the smell of beer will climb into the container. Insects will not be able to get out of it on their own. Therefore, in the morning all that remains is to dig up the vessel with them and destroy them.
Repellent
These methods are recommended to be used to prevent mole cricket larvae from entering the area. Their effectiveness is based on the fact that insects are sensitive to certain aromas. The pest cannot tolerate the smell of garlic, coriander, marigolds, pine needles or chrysanthemums.
The main ways to scare away the mole cricket and its larvae:
| Way | Description |
| Needles |
|
| Onion peels |
|
| Rotten fish | Place any inexpensive fish in holes during planting. The smell of decomposition will repel insects |
Creating physical barriers for insects
Mole cricket larvae are not able to overcome some real obstacles. Therefore, this method can be successfully used to protect some plants. The method cannot be used to destroy larvae, but it does not allow the insect to spoil the roots of the crop.
Another interesting article is the larva of the cockchafer.
You need to make bags from a plastic mesh with fine mesh or old nylon tights and fill them with earth. Seedlings should then be planted in these improvised containers, leaving the edges to protrude 3 cm above the soil surface. In this way, tomato, pepper or eggplant seedlings can be protected from the pest.
Chemicals
If all safe methods of destroying the enemy have been used, but a positive result has not been achieved, one has to resort to radical methods of struggle. In this case, it is recommended to use various chemicals that poison insects.
The most popular and effective means:
- Anti-meshka is a granular bait that gives good results and destroys insects at any stage of its development.
- Medvetox is a product that does not harm the soil and earthworms, but eliminates mole crickets and garden ants.
- Medvecid is a drug in the form of granules, after eating which the pests die within 3 hours.
- Rembek is a cumulative action product that has received good reviews from gardeners; it effectively copes not only with mole crickets, but also with cockchafers and garden ants.
Chemicals must be used strictly according to the instructions supplied with them. In this case, you must take all precautions: use protective gloves and a mask.
In addition to these products, you can protect the root system of seedlings by treating them with special insecticides. The drugs Aktar and Prestige give good results. They need to be diluted in water according to the recommendations in the instructions.
Biological agents
In addition to chemicals, mole crickets can be destroyed on the site using biological agents that are safer for humans and animals. They infect the insect with microorganisms that are harmful to it using a special tasty bait.
The most famous biological drugs:
- Boverine is a drug in powder form that contains spores of the muscardine fungus. After penetration into the body of an insect, it causes a fatal disease.
- Nemabact - contains a predatory nematode and bacteria that are fatal to the pest. When larvae enter the body, they cause illness and rapid death. The product deteriorates quickly, so it must be stored in the cold.
It is not recommended to use the same method of fighting mole crickets for a long time. Surviving individuals quickly develop immunity to the poison, and it ceases to act effectively.
Habitat
The common mole cricket has been known to the world for more than 3 million years and has learned to adapt well to various living conditions. The insect preferably lives deep in the soil. It loves warm, moist and nutritious soil, so the main part of its life activity takes place at a depth of up to 30 cm. Cabbage grass can also rise to the surface. Reproduction is the main reason for the insect to enter the upper layers of the soil.
On a note!
The kapustyanka flies well, runs fast and even swims. It chooses well-warmed soil areas as its habitat. For normal life, she needs a sufficient amount of moisture.
The most common habitats of the insect are the European part of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Asia. The only exceptions are the coldest northern regions, such as Norway and Finland.
During the warm period, cabbage grass makes its way to the upper layers of the soil, where it is possible to reach food. The insect can be found at a depth of 10-15 cm. In winter, the mole cricket goes deeper and it is more difficult to find where the crayfish lives. He equips himself a hole 30 cm underground.
Prevention
To protect the area from pests, it is necessary to dig up the soil twice a year to a depth of 20 cm or more. In this way you can destroy insect nests and destroy larvae.
When using natural fertilizer - manure, it is better to scatter it around the garden in the fall. Then after winter there will be no viable mole cricket eggs left in it. During the spring fertilization procedure, a person through his own efforts contributes to soil contamination.
As a protective measure, make beds with garlic, throw cloves into a hole with crops, plant flower beds with calendula, marigolds, and chrysanthemums.
You can fight pests with folk remedies or professional ones. In case of severe soil contamination, insecticidal agents (Rembek, Regent, etc.) are used, which remain effective for 1 month and disintegrate completely after 45 days. This is enough to destroy all harmful creatures.
Reproduction
Reproduction of the mole cricket
The period when the mole cricket lays eggs occurs at the beginning of summer. At this time, the optimal soil temperature is reached. Taking into account this feature, experts recommend carrying out not only control, but also preventive measures before sowing.
When the time comes, the female goes 10 cm or lower. At the indicated level, the mole cricket’s passages on the ground take on a horizontal shape. The insect builds a special chamber in which eggs will be laid.
Prevention measures
A mole cricket can appear in any area at any time, thanks to its ability to fly. In search of food, insects can travel long distances. Therefore, you need to always be on alert, making sure that pests such as mole crickets do not appear in the garden.
Useful tips:
- Be sure to dig up the soil in spring and autumn.
- Although manure is an excellent fertilizer, it is with it that mole crickets can enter the site.
- It is better to plant plants such as marigolds, chrysanthemums, coriander, etc. along the perimeter of the site.
- Apply mulch between rows to reduce soil temperature.
- Monitor humidity standards, especially in the greenhouse.
The mole cricket is a rather harmful insect that threatens the plantings of various garden crops. It is especially dangerous for planting potatoes, although it is considered an omnivore, and especially loves cabbage, which is why it is popularly called cabbage. If it is found on the site, you need to immediately take measures to get rid of such a voracious insect.
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Stages of development
Stages of development of the cabbage plant
The full cycle of development from egg to adult can reach 24 months. The following stages of development of the mole cricket are distinguished:
- Egg.
- Larva.
- Nymph.
- Adult.
The eggs are protected by a dense shell. Throughout this entire stage, the adult protects them. The larvae grow to stage 2. At first, they do not leave the nest and feed on the food available nearby or on what the female brings. Mole cricket larvae look like medium-sized fleshy caterpillars. 14-20 days after maturation, the first instar larvae become nymphs.
The mole cricket larva in the photo is not much different from the adult. The only difference is the absence of wings. If you study the photo and description of the larva in more detail, you can also note differences in color. Younger individuals are lighter in color than adults. During maturation, the larvae go through a varying number of molts, which can reach 10. After this, the cabbage grass turns into an adult, capable of reproduction.
Interesting!
The process itself, how mole crickets reproduce, deserves special attention. At night, males begin to make special sounds that can be compared to the trill of grasshoppers. An adult mole cricket crawls out of the ground and fertilization occurs.
May beetle and its larva
To get rid of cockchafer larvae
, it is necessary to establish the reason for their appearance, under what conditions the beetle and its larva can live well. It is necessary to remove comfortable living conditions for the beetle and the larvae of the cockchafer, creating conditions that are unbearable for the pest, so that it lays the larvae in another place, outside your area.
Also keep in mind that you should not confuse the larvae of the cockchafer and the larvae of the bronze beetle - after all, their nutrition is completely different, the conditions of reproduction and the lifespan of the larvae are also different. These larvae are very different in appearance from each other.
How to find it in the garden
Damage from the mole cricket
In most cases, the earthen mole cricket is discovered during excavation work. The insect rarely comes to the surface, so it is easier to detect it in pits and holes. But if the mole cricket beetle is found late, then the chances of saving the crop may be too low.
The presence of a pest in a summer cottage should be indicated by the following factors:
- withering of crops;
- damage to root crops, crayfish actively uses vegetable pulp as food;
- death of seedlings simultaneously and in large quantities;
- mole cricket passages, they become especially noticeable in wet areas of the garden;
- round holes on the surface of the ground that serve as the entrance to numerous insect burrows.
Damage caused by mole crickets
If the pest gets into the garden, it can cause serious damage to the future harvest. The pest eats everything that grows in the garden. What adult individuals do is constantly dig tunnels in the ground. At the same time, they eat everything that comes their way. They can destroy seeds, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, and potato plants. The pest gnaws out the inside of the root crops, so they become completely unsuitable for storage.
Mole cricket can reduce the yield of cereals, melons, and legumes. Fruit trees, such as cherry, apple, pear, plum and others, including coniferous trees, also suffer from its vital activity. Up to 15 plants can be affected in one day. This indicates that in a short time the pest is capable of destroying most of the crop. If a mole cricket gets into a greenhouse, then expect trouble, since it has all the conditions for the rapid reproduction of this dangerous, omnivorous insect.
Which plants are susceptible to pest damage?
The diet of mole crickets is varied, and they can feed on a wide variety of plants:
- Vegetables: cabbage, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, eggplants, radishes, peppers.
- Berries: watermelon, melon, strawberries, wild strawberries, grapes.
- Fruits: apple trees, pears, peaches, cherries, plums, apricots, cherries, peaches.
- Cereals: wheat, rye, corn, barley, rice, millet, soybeans.
Industrial crops are also not protected from mole crickets: flax, cotton, tobacco, hops, sunflower. The pest can also feed on the roots of young trees planted for decorative purposes, for example, spruce, oak, pine, and poplar.
Biological drugs
Biological preparations are no less effective at destroying mole crickets than chemical ones. Such products contain fungus or special bacteria, which, when interacting with pests, lead to their death.
The best drugs of this type are considered:
- "Nemabact."
- "Boverin".
- "Entocide."
- "Ecokiller".
Biological agents are not dangerous for people, pets, and birds. In addition, they do not destroy the soil microflora and do not lead to the death of beneficial insects. And they can be used both for pest control and for prevention purposes.
