One mole cricket can completely destroy up to 15 plants per night. The voracious mole cricket larvae cause no less harm than adult individuals. The photo shows how warlike this pest looks. To understand who you will have to deal with, read the description of the insect. After reading the article and watching the video, you will learn how to deal with it using different methods.
Medvedka: description
The mole cricket is an insect belonging to the order Orthoptera. There are about 100 species. It is a widespread pest of farmland and garden crops. Habitat: everywhere.
An adult grows up to 5-8 cm. It has an external resemblance to a large grasshopper and a large shrimp. She has tentacles, antennae and paired limbs adapted for digging. She can swim, crawl, make underground passages and fly. Insect flight height: from 50 cm to 5 m.
An adult mole cricket reaches 5-8 cm in length
The insect is active at night. For the winter he hides in compost heaps or hides deep underground - up to 2 m. Before cold weather, it lives under the top layer of soil - at a maximum depth of 10-15 cm. For normal development and life, it needs moist, loose soil. Very prolific if cereals are present in the diet. At favorable conditions The life cycle of a mole cricket reaches up to 5 years, including the larval development stages. The larva goes through 4 stages of development from the egg to the formation of an individual that is capable of reproduction.
How to understand that an area is infested with a mole cricket
The probability of seeing mole crickets during the day is negligible, which creates some difficulties in determining whether an area is infested with this pest.
A combination of signs indicates the activity of an insect:
- mass death of seedlings;
- wilting of plants;
- damage to root crops;
- the appearance of small loose piles of earth;
- earthen paths visible on moist soil;
- holes in the ground (entrance to the burrow).
Larvae and adult mole crickets harm crops, damaging their root system. They feed on the roots of plants: tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, eggplants, peppers, ornamental flowers, cereal crops. Adult insects are more omnivorous than larvae. A developed individual readily eats worms, small insects and large beetle larvae.
Advice. Clean the area thoroughly in the fall after harvesting. With the beginning of spring, when the top layer of the earth warms up to 10-15 degrees, mole crickets emerge from their winter holes and begin to feed on the remaining fruits.
An adult mole cricket feeds on plant roots and can damage up to 15 plants per night
What mole cricket eggs and larvae look like
The mating season for mole crickets begins in May and lasts until early July. Afterwards, the insect makes nests in which it lays up to 500 eggs. The place for laying becomes a pile of garbage or manure, or loose soil. The nest looks like a lump of earth, inside it is a chamber with dense walls. The masonry reaches 6x6 cm and is located at a distance of 10-15 cm from the surface.
The chamber is filled with yellow or light brown eggs, similar to ant eggs, but slightly larger. Egg size is 3.5 mm. The larvae appear approximately at the end of the 3rd week after nest formation. To the state of a sexually mature individual, the larva goes through 4 stages in 1-2 years. The speed of its development depends on nutrition and soil moisture. The size of the larvae is 1.5-3.5 cm.
Attention. Larvae cause no less harm than adult insects. Their diet consists of small roots, seeds, and larvae of other insects.
First, the larvae eat the remains of the shell, and then begin to dig passages and tunnels. Adults prefer small insects, worms, large larvae of chafers and ladybugs.
How to deal with mole crickets
Pest control in gardens is carried out different ways: warning, scaring, destruction of clutches and destruction of individuals.
Measures to prevent the development of larvae:
- Cleaning the site in autumn and spring.
- Digging the ground in autumn and spring (nests are destroyed).
- Regular loosening of the beds.
- Dung bait traps.
Advice. Manure traps are placed throughout the site. The mole cricket lays eggs in them. After 10 days, traps are checked and the nests are destroyed.
Adults are repelled by placing rotten fish, pine needles, a mixture of sand and kerosene, and onion infusion under the soil. The mixture is prepared at the rate of 70 ml of kerosene per 1 kg of sand. Lay it out around the perimeter of the beds or greenhouse. Onion infusion is made from 1 kg of onion peel and waste in a bucket of water. A solution diluted with water (1:5) is watered after rain.
To scare away mole crickets, you can plant chrysanthemums on the site
To repel mole crickets, marigolds and chrysanthemums are planted on the site. You can lay the crushed stems and flowers of these plants underground.
Pests can be destroyed using special chemicals. Apply special means in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. To destroy mole crickets without chemicals, jars of water are buried throughout the site overnight, level with the soil surface. The neck of the jars should be 5-6 cm. Do not close the jar - the mole crickets must climb inside. In the morning, insects are destroyed. To attract pests, instead of water, some gardeners use boiled cereals or oatmeal porridge.
A simple mole cricket trap is a glass jar of water that is buried in the soil overnight.
If you notice mole crickets in your area, choose the most effective way for you to deal with them. Observe preventive measures and in the future. Insects fly well and can move to your site from neighboring infested areas.
How to get rid of mole crickets in the garden - video
Medvedka is one of the most dangerous pests on summer cottage. This insect can destroy a huge amount of crop in a short time, and it is quite difficult to fight it. That is why you should study in more detail the features of this unwanted garden guest.
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 cricket-mole, which is understandable external features mole crickets.
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 also equipped with paws that resemble the limbs of a mole.
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 them most The cabbage mushroom spends 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.
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.
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 lives in the same area as it poses a great danger.
Habitat
The common mole cricket has been known to the world for more than 3 million years and has learned to adapt well to different conditions a habitat. The insect prefers to live 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. It can also rise to the surface. Reproduction – main reason insect exit into the upper layers of the soil.
The period when mole crickets lay eggs occurs at the beginning of summer. At this time it is achieved optimal temperature soil. 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. Insect builds special camera, in which egg laying will occur.
In the nest, the earthen crayfish makes a small depression where it lays its eggs. When choosing a place, the female also determines the required level of humidity. In dry soil, the larvae will not survive and the transformation into a caterpillar will not occur.
On a note!
Studying what a mole cricket and its larva look like, it can be noted that even at this stage of development the caterpillar already has an impressive size. The eggs are oval in shape and yellow in color. On average, there are about 100-300 pieces in one nest.
The female carefully prepares the nest to protect the eggs. She gnaws all the roots around him and prepares drainage systems. As a result, the nest has a very dense structure and, when discovered, can be removed from the ground entirely.
Stages of development
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. During 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 sounds that can be compared to the trill of grasshoppers. An adult mole cricket crawls out of the ground and fertilization occurs.
How to detect in the garden
In most cases, the mole cricket is discovered during earthworks. 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;
- simultaneous 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.
The presence of these signs may be a warning of danger. You need to act quickly and purposefully.
One adult can spoil about 15 plants overnight.
There are many ways to combat insects, but the most effective is still the one that will quickly eliminate the problem and save the entire crop. Knowing where cabbage grass lives will help you fight it more effectively. Since it is better to put it in insect holes.
Harm in the garden
Having discovered traces of cabbage grass in the garden, you should immediately take measures to combat the insect. In a short period of time, earthen cancer can significantly reduce the amount of harvest, as well as spoil a large number of plants.
The insect is not particularly scrupulous in its choice of food, so it can consume almost all crops in the garden beds. Most often it affects:
- potato;
- carrot;
- beets;
- cabbage;
- eggplant;
- tomatoes;
- pepper.
The mole cricket also eats rhizomes of bushes, radishes, and flowers. In addition to plant foods, she will not refuse small representatives of the fauna. The desired delicacy will be a pupa, an earthworm, a butterfly and a caterpillar.
Another unpleasant feature of the appearance of cabbage grass in the beds is its lifestyle. It digs through numerous underground passages and lays larvae in them. And everything that comes her way is mercilessly chewed and bitten. The results of such vital activity are the death of many plants. Mole cricket burrows in the garden are at different levels up to 30 cm deep, so almost all plants are affected.
Mole cricket eggs left in burrows turn into larvae. They also use the root system of plants as food and only worsen the damage. Therefore, when planting plants, you should take into account not only what the mole cricket eats, but also the crops that it does not eat.
Thus, in order to protect your land plot, you need to carefully study the photo and description of the mole cricket. For faster victory and minimization of damage, it is important to learn how to quickly determine the places of greatest concentration of individuals and act on them using special insecticides or folk remedies.
With this article we are starting a new series of materials devoted to household pests. The topic of a number of subsequent articles is the mole cricket, an insect that lives all over the world and can cause some harm, both to private residential buildings, and in the garden. In this material we will talk about where the mole cricket lives, what its life cycle is, what it eats and other information describing this type of insect. In subsequent materials we will begin to study ways to combat mole crickets in the house and garden.
General summary
This type of pest belongs to the insect family Gryllotalpidae. For those who have seriously decided to engage in baiting, it is useful to know that the mole cricket belongs to the order Orthoptera, the same as grasshoppers, locusts and crickets.
The insects are large insects with a cylindrical body shape, about 3-5 centimeters in length, have small eyes and spade-shaped forelimbs that are excellent for digging. Mole crickets are present in many parts of the world, and where the agro-industrial complex is well developed, they can become serious agricultural pests.
This insect species has three life stages - egg, nymph and adult. At these stages, the mole cricket spends most of its life underground, however, during the breeding season, adult insects of both sexes can scatter quite far away. long distances with the help of perfectly developed wings.
The species of mole crickets are very distinguishable from each other by their diet. Some are completely vegetarian, feeding primarily on roots, while others are omnivores, using worms and grubs in their diet. In addition, some species are largely predatory.
Males have exceptionally loud vocalizations and “sing” using so-called subsurface vents that open into the external environment in the form of an exponential horn. The “song” of the mole cricket is an almost pure tone, somewhat modulated into a chirp. Males use these sounds to attract females, either to mate, or to indicate favorable places for laying eggs, a kind of male attention to procreation.
IN different countries Medvedkas have different folklore and culinary properties. For example, in Zambia, mole crickets are believed to bring good luck, while in Latin America, they are believed to predict rain. But in West Java, Vietnam and the Philippines, some species of mole crickets are widely used as food.
More information about the appearance of mole crickets
Mole crickets vary in size and appearance, but most of them are medium or large in size, characteristic of an insect - from 3.2 to 3.5 cm along the length of their body. insects are adapted for life in the ground and have a cylindrical body shape covered with small, dense hairs. The head, forelimbs and prothorax are strongly sclerotized, which gives the insect sufficient body strength, but the abdomen is quite soft. The head has two thread-like antennae and a pair of beady eyes.
Two pairs of wings are folded flat over the abdominal cavity. In most species, the fore wings are short and rounded, and the hind wings are membranous and reach or exceed the edge of the abdominal cavity. However, in some species the hind wings are reduced in size and the insect cannot fly.
The front legs are well adapted for digging, but they are very similar to cockroaches and are more used for moving the massive body of the insect. However, these limbs are better suited for pushing the soil rather than jumping, which mole crickets do rarely and poorly. The larvae are similar to adults, except for the absence of wings and genitals, which are formed with each subsequent molt.
Some features of mole cricket biology
Adults of most species of mole crickets are able to fly confidently, but not with the same dexterity as other flying insects, and males fly extremely rarely. Females tend to fly shortly after sunset and are attracted to areas where males begin their long trill, which they vocalize for about an hour after sunset. As noted above, females fly towards this sound to mate or lay eggs.
Stages of mole cricket development
Mole crickets, in the process of their development, experience incomplete metamorphoses. When mole cricket larvae hatch from their eggs, they increasingly resemble adults as they grow and go through a series of about ten molts. After mating, there may be a period of one or two weeks before the female begins to lay eggs. To do this, it burrows into the soil to a depth of 30 cm. 72 cm is a result that was noticed in laboratory conditions.
After burrowing, females lay 25 to 60 eggs. When a mole cricket lays eggs, there are some specific features at the end of this process. For example, the Neoscapteriscus species are then removed, sealing the entrance passage to the burrow, but the female Gryllotalpa and Neocurtilla species remain in the burrow until the larvae hatch. At what depth the mole cricket lives also depends on the quality of the soil itself, for example, on wet black soil, the insect can be found at a depth of 5-10 cm, and on dry sandstones - up to 15 cm.
The humidity of the earth plays an important role in the process of procreation of mole crickets. The eggs must be laid in moist soil, otherwise many nymphs die immediately after hatching due to lack of moisture. The eggs hatch within a few weeks, and as they grow, the nymphs consume large amounts of plant material, either directly in the burrow or periodically crawling to the surface.
It is worth noting that when mole crickets breed, adults of some species are able to move considerable distances, up to 8 kilometers during the breeding season. Mole crickets are active most of the year. Nymphs and adults are able to overwinter in cold climates, resuming activity in spring period. The mole cricket overwinters at a slightly greater depth, preferring places with higher humidity. In hot countries, mole crickets are active all year round.
Burrowing abilities
Mole crickets live almost entirely underground, digging tunnels of varying depths and lengths to support their basic life activities, including feeding, avoiding predators, fertilization and growth.
Mole crickets are known for their digging abilities. Their main tunnels are used for feeding and for escape. They can burrow into the ground very quickly, find one of their old tunnels and move along them at high speed, both forward and backward.
Their digging technique is very successful - insects scatter the soil in both directions with the help of their powerful shovel-limbs, which are wide, flattened, jagged and very rigid.
Mating takes place in the male's burrow. Before starting his "song", the male can widen the tunnel to make room for the female, but for some species this is not required - mating takes place tail to tail. Females lay their eggs either in their regular burrows or in specially dug brood chambers.
Vocal features
As already mentioned, only the male mole cricket has vocal abilities, which are used to attract females for mating or laying eggs. Before this, the males dig a separate burrow, which may or may not be connected to other passages dug in the ground. The male's burrow always has the shape of a double exponential horn, which forms an effective resonator, thereby amplifying the sound of singing.
The male's chirp is an almost pure tone of 3.5 kilohertz, loud enough to vibrate the top layer of the earth within a radius of at least 20 cm.
The geometric characteristics of the mole cricket burrow vary from species to species. The common mole cricket digs somewhat rough outlines, but the species Gryllotalpa vineae has a smooth and regular burrow cylindrical shape, without any irregularities larger than 1 millimeter. In both species, the burrow takes the form of a double exponential horn with two holes on the soil surface. In the area of the second hole there is a narrowing and then widening in the form of a resonating “onion”. It is worth noting that mole crickets, both males and females, use their burrows for no more than a week.
The volume of a male's "song" correlates with body size and habitat quality. In fact, it is the characteristic of sound that is an indicator of male attractiveness. The loudest males can attract 20 females in one evening, while the quieter males are unable to attract a single female and will have to spend the next night alone.
What mole crickets eat in the garden - nutritional features
Mole crickets vary in their diet - they can be herbivorous, omnivorous, or exclusively carnivorous, such as the southern mole cricket. Insects feed on roots found in the ground, and they are also able to leave their burrows at night to find leaves and stems for themselves, which they drag into the burrow before directly consuming them, sometimes. The lifestyle of mole crickets can significantly harm agriculture.
Enemies of the mole cricket
A separate predator that attacks mole cricket eggs in China and Japan is the bombardier beetle Stenaptinus jessoensis. An adult beetle lays eggs near the insect's burrow, and subsequently the beetle larvae find their way to the egg chamber of the burrow and eat the mole cricket eggs.
Fungal diseases can devastate mole cricket populations during the winter before the thaw occurs. The fungus Beauveria bassiana can infect adults, completely destroying their body. Other fungal, microsporidian and viral pathogens may also be involved in this process.
In general, mole crickets easily elude predators by living underground and burrowing vigorously if they feel threatened by something on the surface. As a last line of defense, mole crickets spray foul-smelling brown liquid from their anal glands at their enemy when captured. In addition, they can bite.
Spreading
Mole crickets are nocturnal insects and spend almost their entire lives underground in extensive tunnel systems. They are most abundant in agricultural areas and grassy areas.
The mole cricket is found everywhere, it can be found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. By the beginning of 2014, 107 different types mole cricket has been described and there is a high percentage of probability that more types will be discovered, especially in Asia. Neoscapteriscus didactylus is one of the most widespread pests that plague Agriculture South America, West Indies and New South Wales in Australia. The African mole cricket is one of the main pests in South Africa. Other species are widespread in Europe, Asia and Australia.
How do mole crickets harm you?
Mole crickets are enemies of plants. Most of the damage caused by these insects is the result of their digging activities. By digging their tunnels to a depth of several centimeters in the soil, they push out the soil in small ridges, increasing the evaporation of surface moisture, which greatly disrupts seed germination and damages the fine roots of young seedlings. In addition, mole crickets are harmful to the turf and lawn grass, as insects feed on grass roots, causing plants to dry out and reduce yield.
Medvedka- quite a serious pest. This is a large insect with wings and a hard shell that can destroy many plants. It is also called cabbage weed, as the pest loves to feast on cabbage leaves.
Description and photo of the bear
Reasons for appearance
A vegetable garden planted with various vegetable plants attracts mole cricket. They eat young leaves, tubers, and roots.
If you have well prepared the area for planting, loosened the soil, and fertilized it, then this will attract cabbage plants even more, since it will be convenient for them to dig tunnels in such soil.
Medvedka A rather picky insect, it does not eat weeds, so it will not appear on abandoned land.
Interesting! The body of the mole cricket is covered on top with a hard brownish shell, which is similar to the shell of crayfish, because of this it is also called earthen crayfish. Because of the sounds the insects make and the tunnels they dig, they are called cricket moles. Pests usually eat plants at night.
Characteristic features of the mole cricket
- an adult insect cannot be crushed with your fingers, like many beetles and their larvae;
- it has a thick abdomen, its diameter is up to 1 cm;
- with the help of the rigid front elytra rubbing against each other, the insect produces trills, they can be heard at a distance of up to 1.5 km;
- the body is covered with small hairs, it is long, ending with 2 long appendages similar to antennae - cerci;
- large head, powerful jaws, strong front legs resembling claws, and also a mustache mole cricket frightening appearance;
- if the insect finds enough food, it will grow to 5-6 cm;
- insect larvae are thick, milky white, and have spots on the sides;
- The larva has a repulsive appearance; it has short legs, powerful jaws, and a yellowish-brown head.
With the help of wings, the adult flies from one place to another and searches for food. The female pest lays a hundred or more eggs in one oviposition. The adult female makes a nest under the soil, not too deep, and lays eggs. The top of the nest is covered with a dome; it can be seen on the surface of the earth as a small elevation. This is done for heating by the sun. The eggs then hatch larvae, they are 2-3 mm long, milky in color, they have a shell on their head, but it is not hard. Insects mature only after 1-2 years.
If the gardener does not detect pests on the site in a timely manner, he will not be able to reap a bountiful harvest: mole crickets They are omnivores, they breed in the garden and gnaw off roots, tubers, foliage, and stems.
The main signs of a mole cricket in the garden
At first you may not see insects on the site, but then they are detected by the following signs:
- swollen areas of soil above nests;
- paths - furrows in the beds that are easy to see after watering and rainfall;
- open entrances - holes in the hole;
- wilting of seedlings and sprouts;
- death of young seedlings;
- damaged tubers.
Reference! In 24 hours, the earth beetle larva can eat up to 15 young seedlings.
Harm
The main problem is that the insect eats both roots, tubers, and stems and leaves.
Medvedka eats:
- potato tubers;
- rhizomes of shrubs;
- root vegetables of carrots, beets;
- eggplant;
- radishes;
- cabbage heads;
- radish;
- hemp;
- tomatoes;
- pepper;
- parsley roots;
- various flowers.
In addition, the insect digs multi-level passages in the ground and then intensively lays eggs inside them. Emerging larvae They gnaw rhizomes, root crops, and destroy crops in the garden.
Watch the video! How to deal with a mole cricket
Fighting methods
Prevention of pest attack - proper preparation land for planting.
Traps
You can make several types of traps that have a good effect:
- Dung traps. Insects love to be in warm, loose manure in winter. To be caught mole crickets you should dig a hole with a depth, width and length of 50 cm. Then manure is poured into the hole, wait until the air temperature drops to minus. Then you need to spread the manure around the area. Medvedki will hibernate and quickly die from frost. And in the spring there will be a lot of eggs left in the trap; they are very easy to eliminate.
- Beer or honey traps. Medvedki They love to get into dishes with beer or honey. How to make a trap: 10 half-liter glass jars need to be buried in the soil up to the neck, then pour beer into them to fill 1/3 of each jar. Or coat the inside of each jar with honey. Next, cover the jars wooden board, but so that there is a gap of 1.5 cm between the cans and the board, then mole crickets will be able to crawl into banks. Traps should be checked from time to time and collected mole cricket.
- Shadow traps. The method is based on the fact that mole crickets prefer warm places. They love to bask in the bright rays of the sun, and they also choose places where it is warmer. Therefore, place black material on the beds that are illuminated by the sun. Place chopped potatoes under the material. When the material heats up, the potatoes will attract mole cricket. Then you need to lift the material and collect the crayfish.
Folk remedies
Chicken droppings. You can completely destroy cabbage weeds using proper fertilizer. If there is a large amount of nitrogen in the soil, then mole crickets are leaving this place. For this you can use bird droppings. In addition, it repels pests unpleasant smell. They make a solution from the droppings and constantly spray the crops. To prepare the solution, pour 1 cup of chicken manure into a bucket of water (10 l).
Wood ash and crushed egg shells. You can pour crushed powder into each hole before planting seedlings. eggshells or ash.
Soap and powder. Pour 50 g of powder or 20 g of soap into 10 liters of water. The holes are filled with solution. Then either the pests will begin to crawl out of their holes, and they can be killed with a shovel by cutting them down. On either mole cricket hits soap solution, and they die.
Ammonia. The product shows an excellent effect on seedlings. Add 2 tbsp. spoons of ammonia in a bucket of water. Next, water the soil at a distance of 10 cm from the stem.
Smells. At the dacha, seeds of chrysanthemums, calendula, and marigolds are sown. Cabbage weeds are repelled by the aroma of these flowers.
You can also scare away the pest by sowing parsley, peppermint, and planting bushes of these crops in the corners of the site. You can also plant garlic or dig into the ground pine spruce branches, alder and aspen stakes that have just been cut down.
Advice! Can be sprayed on stems and foliage essential oil mint, marigolds, chrysanthemums. Add 20 drops of oil to 400 ml of water and apply the composition.
barrier from plastic bottle . This product is very effective and you almost don’t need to spend money on it. They pick up old plastic bottles. Next, you need to cut each bottle into rings, then bury them in the soil near the plants. The upper edges of the plastic ring should be 3-4 cm above the ground surface.
Vegetable oil from cabbage. Pour 0.5 teaspoons of sunflower into each dug hole. unrefined oil, pour water from the hose. Medvedkam they don’t like water with oil, they die or try to escape by getting out of their holes, then you can simply kill them with a shovel.
Chemicals
Chemicals are necessary if traditional methods struggle did not produce the desired effect. With intensive reproduction mole cricket it is very difficult to catch all pests and eliminate them larvae and eggs.
Therefore, pesticides and insecticides are used. If you use the products correctly, about 60-90% will die mole cricket, their eggs and larvae. You need to place toxic granules in the passages, then the cabbage mushrooms will eat them and become poisoned. Chemicals can be bought in special stores for gardening and dachas, in hypermarkets, departments household chemicals. Widely used compounds:
- Thunder;
- Phenaxin Plus;
- Medvegon;
- Anti mole cricket;
- Grizzly;
- Medvetox;
- Rembek;
- Regent;
- Votafox;
- Parachute.
Medvetox and Anti mole cricket- These are pesticides produced on the basis of insects that are natural enemies of earthen crayfish.
Rules of application:
- need to find places where they reproduce mole crickets;
- then place 3-4 granules in the passages dug under the soil;
- pour the composition where cabbage grasses live, especially on beds and heaps of manure;
- very important - sprinkle the chemical granules with soil so that birds or pets do not feast on the bait instead of pests.
Important! Compositions for eliminating mole crickets are considered toxic, so be sure to follow safety precautions. Place the granules while wearing rubber gloves and a respirator or mask. After all actions, wash your hands with soap, rinse your mouth, and wash your face.
You can also steam grains of wheat, corn, bran, oats, barley, add a few tablespoons of sunflower oil to this porridge and pickle it, adding, for example, Medvetox. Such baits for cabbage grass are applied to the ground early in the spring, usually a week before sowing the seeds. If the area is small, then the bait is buried in the ground to a depth of 2-3 cm, and if it is large, then the bait is scattered with seeders.
Ultrasonic repellers
Ultrasonic repellers are a great way to protect your area. The device emits a high-frequency sound that scares away mole cricket. The device works day and night, constant exposure to cabbage will give good result. As a rule, earthen cancer leaves the site after 2 weeks.
Widely known brands:
- Hail;
- Riddex;
- Typhoon;
- Pest reject.
The insect will leave if you and other gardeners from neighboring areas install repellers at the same time. If the device breaks down, then mole crickets will quickly spread throughout the area, females will lay eggs and hatch from them larvae. If your neighbors use repellers together with you, you will achieve the desired effect.
Biological agents
You can purchase Otmed. It is made from pepper, tar, milkweed, and wormwood. This product repels pests very well. They also sell Boverin, a pesticide made from a fungus that has an active effect on crayfish.
Medvedka lizards, ants, hedgehogs, and birds like to eat.
Prevention of occurrence
Advice! In autumn, collect all fallen leaves, branches, and remnants of vegetation. Next, dig up the soil to the depth of a spade so that the mole crickets freeze in winter. After digging up the soil, mole crickets crawl out of their holes.
True, digging up a shallow layer of earth will not disturb the burrow. Digging the soil in early spring also does not bring results, since the cabbage plants have time to make new tunnels where they will spend the winter before the frosts.
Then refill the traps with manure. This will attract pests. Do not dig holes until spring. In the spring, pour flammable liquid into each hole and burn the bait along with the pests.
Before sowing, it is recommended to treat the seeds with Aktara, Masterpiece or Prestige. You can also soak the rhizomes of seedlings in these preparations before planting them on the site, and spray potato tubers before placing them in holes.
Place a ball of poison in the holes with seedlings and tubers. To do this, boil the millet, add the same amount of BI-58 to one part of the millet, leave the composition for 12 hours, then place it in the wells.
When found mole crickets Many gardeners are lost and don’t know what to do. Therefore, the advice of agronomists and the folk methods described above can help in eliminating pests. Chemical agents have also proven themselves to be effective.
Watch the video! Traditional methods of fighting mole crickets
A sad story familiar to many: for no apparent reason, seedlings and young shoots wither in the beds, seedlings die fruit trees, and someone gnawed the root vegetables right in the ground. The most likely cause of the disaster is that a mole cricket has appeared in the garden - an underground inhabitant and malicious pest exemplary areas.
Mole crickets ignore poor, heavy soil, but they thrive on fertile, humus-rich soils, where they actively reproduce and do not leave their new place of residence without outside help. It is important to understand why mole crickets are dangerous and what they look like: photos and descriptions, how to fight and correctly carry out preventive measures should be known to every gardener.
What does a bear look like?
These insects are not at all similar to bears, but got their name for their brown coloring and some clumsiness in their movements. Mole crickets belong to the order Orthoptera, their closest relatives are crickets, grasshoppers and locusts, and mole crickets resemble precisely these insects. Gardeners' stories about pests 10 and even 15 cm long are greatly exaggerated; mole crickets usually grow no more than 5 - 8 cm in length including wings.
The elongated body of the insect consists of a cephalothorax, abdomen, two pairs of legs, as well as long wings and well-developed elytra. Wingless specimens are extremely rare. The soft, spindle-shaped abdomen is 3 times larger than the cephalothorax, and has a thickness of about 1 cm. The durable chitinous shell partially hides and reliably protects the insect’s head and it will not be possible to crush the mole cricket with your hands, like a bug.
The folded wings look like thin, translucent scales extending beyond the abdomen. Fragile in appearance, they allow insects to fly at a height of no more than 5 m. Mole crickets cannot jump like grasshoppers and crickets, but their front legs are highly modified and perform an excellent digging function. In the back of the body, paired thread-like outgrowths - cerci, about 1 cm long - are clearly visible.
The mole cricket's head is decorated with a pair of large compound eyes and long antennae. Oral apparatus The gnawing type is equipped with terrifying-looking tentacles, for which the insect is often popularly called earthen crayfish.
The upper side of the mole cricket's body, including the cephalothorax, is painted in a dark brown protective color, lighter on the sides and turning into pale olive on the lower part of the body and limbs.
Mole crickets spend most of their lives underground, so even experienced gardeners They rarely meet insects face to face, but detect their presence by other characteristic signs.
Lifestyle
Mole crickets are the oldest inhabitants of the planet; the fossil remains of some species that lived on the territory of modern Europe are about 30 million years old. These insects are extremely tenacious and easily adapt to any living conditions, so they are found everywhere.
Today, the mole cricket family includes about 110 species, among which the most widespread is the common mole cricket, which is found in Eurasia and North Africa. The favorite habitats of mole crickets are fertile plains warmed by the sun, sandy soils and well-fertilized with manure. garden plots. These insects avoid deserted, dry places and try to stay in coastal areas in dry years.
Throughout their lives, mole crickets are actively engaged in building underground tunnels, where they live and reproduce, so among experienced gardeners You can hear another name for an insect - cricket - mole. Underground passages are located at a depth of 10 - 15 cm and consist of holes and numerous passages - branches, which can run in a network throughout the entire area. On the one hand, a kind of loosening improves soil aeration, but by breaking through tunnels, mole crickets severely damage and gnaw the roots of plants, so the ratio of benefit and harm from these insects is determined by their number in a certain area.
Life cycle
Mole cricket nests resemble an earthen lump, are located just under the surface of the earth, their tops have characteristic elevations so that the masonry warms up better solar heat. With the onset of spring, the mating season of insects begins and lasts until the beginning of July. The female lays several hundred yellow or brownish eggs, round in shape, about 3.5 mm in diameter, in her nest.
Nest with eggs of the common mole cricket. 
After 3 - 4 weeks, larvae are born, which look like adults, but are light brown in color and have the rudiments of wings. Mole crickets remain in the larval stage for 2 to 4 years, depending on the region and food supply, undergoing 4 molts during this time. Insects spend the winter at a depth of more than 2 m, as well as in manure or compost. Mole crickets are extremely voracious and omnivorous; the diet of larvae and adults consists of root vegetables, various insects, their eggs and larvae, as well as earthworms.
The number of mole crickets in any garden directly depends on the presence of other animals that can significantly reduce the population of uninvited guests.
Natural enemies of mole crickets
Well-fed, slow-moving insects are easy prey for many feathered hunters: rooks, starlings and even crows are not averse to putting their long beaks into the ground and catching a couple of mole crickets for breakfast.
A white-breasted kingfisher caught a mole cricket. 
Other underground inhabitants - moles, happily eat larvae and adults; hedgehogs and lizards will not refuse mole crickets. Garden ants drag mole cricket eggs into their nests, and ground beetles destroy the wingless larvae.
Unfortunately, garden nurses are unable to deal with the overgrown colony of pests, and then it’s time for the owners of the site to take the initiative into their own hands and start getting rid of the mole cricket on their own.
Mole cricket in the garden: main signs
At first, the presence of a mole cricket on the site may not even be noticed, then the activity of the pests reveals a number of characteristic signs:
- swollen areas of soil above nests;
- paths - furrows in the beds, clearly visible after rain and watering;
- open entrances - holes in the hole;
- causeless withering of seedlings and seedlings;
- death of young seedlings;
- damaged roots.
In a day, a mole cricket larva can destroy up to 15 young plants, and then the disaster assumes alarming proportions.
Fighting methods
Today, gardeners and vegetable gardeners have at their disposal a whole arsenal of old folk methods of preventing and combating earthen cancer, as well as a lot chemicals and devices that allow you to get rid of uninvited guests:
- manure traps;
- beer lures;
- soap and kerosene “baths”;
- aromatherapy;
- "onion shower";
- installation of wind turbines;
- sound repellers;
- insecticidal preparations.
Fighting insects that survived mammoths and dinosaurs is not so easy. Adherents of organic farming are recommended to use time-tested folk ways, and only in as a last resort switch to chemicals.
Traps
The purpose of this method is to create local places on the site that are favorable for the accumulation, reproduction and wintering of insects, their subsequent collection and destruction. The method is as relevant as in the beginning summer season, and on the eve of the first frost.
The mole cricket trap is a hole no more than 50 cm deep and wide. The bottom is lined with polyethylene, and manure mixed with straw is poured on top. Insects will not remain indifferent to such a place of residence: in the spring, the pits are occupied by females and lay eggs there; in the fall, mole crickets will gather in trapping pits for the winter.
After a month, the manure is checked for the presence of adults, their eggs and larvae. In the spring, the polyethylene with its contents is removed and burned; with the onset of frost, the manure with nests is simply scattered around the area: before wintering, the mole crickets become lethargic, they can no longer hide and die when sub-zero temperature air.
Delicious baits
A more humane method of getting rid of mole crickets is tasty bait, an old effective method that at the same time allows you to reduce the number of snails and slugs in the area.
Plastic bottles, tin or glass jars fill 2/3 with beer or fermented jam diluted in half with water and dig into the soil to the very edges. Attracted by the aroma of the treat, the insects enter the container and are in no hurry to return. In the morning, the owners get rid of the contents of the baits without any problems.
Soap, kerosene, vegetable oil
If you manage to find the entrance hole to the underground labyrinth, it can be filled with a specially prepared solution. To do this, take 10 liters of water and add the following components of your choice to the container:
10 g laundry soap+ 50 g washing powder;
- 100 ml kerosene;
- 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.
The solution is poured into the inlet holes gradually, so that the liquid can penetrate into all branches of the underground passages. Any of the prepared mixtures will be destructive for the mole cricket and its offspring.
Aromatherapy and onion peels
Surprisingly, but true: the mole cricket cannot tolerate some odors, and when it smells it, it tries to get away to a safe distance. Among the “incense” that drives out pests, it is recommended to use the following techniques aromatherapy:
- planting marigolds and calendula between plants and along the perimeter of the beds;
- fish giblets laid out in rows and lightly sprinkled with soil (an extreme method, but effective);
- spruce branches scattered throughout the area;
- alder shoots stuck into the beds at a distance of 1.5 m from each other;
- sprinkling the soil with a mixture of a bucket of river sand and 1 cup of kerosene;
- watering the plants with a strong infusion of onion peels.
According to experienced gardeners, all these smells repel mole crickets no worse than professional products.
Wind turbines and scarers
Homemade windmills are an old, proven method of fighting underground pests. Poles up to 3 m high are equipped with propellers made of thin-sheet stainless steel and are located at several points in the garden. Mole crickets cannot tolerate specific sounds and vibrations from windmills and rush to get away... to neighboring areas. Therefore, before installing devices, it makes sense to inform your neighbors and also ask their opinion about possible discomfort from the sounds produced by windmills.
Ultrasonic repeller - worthy alternative windmills, as well as a silent and effective way to expel mole crickets from your site.
It is important to understand that it is advisable to use traps, bait and windmills if the number of mole crickets in the area is not critical. When all traditional methods the fight has been exhausted, and the mole cricket continues to eat the crop, the only way to get rid of the pests is destruction with the help of insecticides.
Chemical and biological ready-made preparations for mole crickets
The relevance of the problem of combating mole crickets is eloquently characterized by the variety of specialized drugs produced by domestic and imported manufacturers. Powder and granular insecticides are completely ready for use and allow you to get rid of mole crickets once and for all.
Among the line chemicals The following consistently in-demand drugs are the most popular:
- Anti-molecular: an effective bait in the form of microgranules that destroys pests at any stage of development;
- Medvetox: a drug that is safe for soil and earthworms, destroys mole crickets, and at the same time garden ants;
- Medvecid: a granular product that has a detrimental effect on mole crickets within 3 hours after eating the bait;
- Rembek: a proven long-acting drug, also effective in combating garden ants and the May beetle;
- Boverine: a powdered biological preparation, the causative agent of a disease caused by the muscardine fungus, which penetrates the body of insects, causing their death.
In addition to ready-made preparations, good old carbide is a great help in the fight against mole crickets. It is enough to lower 5 g of calcium carbide into the hole of the hole so that the acetylene formed as a result of the reaction with water fills the entire underground labyrinth of passages dug by pests.
It is easier to prevent any attack than to get rid of it for a long time, so simple preventive measures will protect the garden from the mole cricket and its voracious offspring.
Prevention
As practice shows, deep digging of the soil in spring and autumn destroys the nests and galleries of mole crickets, not giving the pests a chance to breed and settle in for the winter.
One way to prevent mole crickets from entering your property is to stop using cow and horse manure and replace them with chicken manure.
Seedlings with a compact root system can be protected from pests using a cut plastic bottle, which creates a kind of “armor” around the roots.
Planting chrysanthemums, calendula and marigolds between rows - reliable protection from the bear. Insects do not like the smell of parsley, cilantro, onions and garlic.
Before planting, the roots of the seedlings are treated with Aktara and Prestige, which reliably protect the plants from pests and promote the growth of vegetative mass.
Attracting biological agents - birds and insectivorous animals - the right way prevention of pest infestation of the area and a great chance to never find out what a mole cricket looks like and how dangerous it is.
