Related Categories

Safety Products

Please be sure to read the product label of any insecticide you choose to use to get information on the personal protective safety gear you will need. In most situations, it is recommended that you wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, closed toe shoes with socks, chemical resistant gloves, and goggles. In areas where ventilation is poor, a manufacturer may recommend you wear a mask or a respirator. We have put together two different safety kits that will make selecting the correct safety gear easier for you.

Mole Crickets

Mole Cricket Identification Guide

Learn What Mole Crickets Look Like

By DoMyOwn staff
Overview

What Are Mole Crickets?

Image of a mole cricket
Mole crickets are insects that belong to the same family as grasshoppers and crickets and have become problematic lawn pests.

Do Mole Crickets Bite?

Mole crickets are not poisonous and do not bite people. While they technically could bite you if provoked enough, their bite would be completely harmless. Mole crickets are only harmful to your turf.

Mole Cricket Life Cycle

The mole cricket life cycle is fairly simple. The adults lay eggs underground, and when the eggs hatch the immature crickets, called nymphs, feed on grass roots and organic matter which makes up the mole cricket diet, and create tunnels under the surface, causing damage. Once they mature, they mate and the cycle begins again.

Appearance

Graphic of mole cricket anatomy
Mole crickets are not true crickets, but share similarities, including the signature chirp noise and back legs that resemble the back legs of a cricket or grasshopper. While there are a few different types of mole crickets, they more or less look the same.

  • Gray to grayish tan in color
  • Covered in fine hairs, appearing velvety
  • Large, beady eyes
  • Stocky, shovel-like front legs they use for digging
  • Fully grown, they are about an inch long
  • Nymphs (immature mole crickets) resemble adults but are much smaller.
  • Once you see the mole cricket, you will instantly see the resemblance to the animal from which it gets its name.

324 of 337 people found this article informative and helpful.

Was this article informative and helpful to you?   Yes |  No