Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpidae spp.
Mole crickets are burrowing insects that tunnel through turf root zones, causing surface ridging and loosened, spongy turf.
Mole crickets are burrowing insects that spend most of their life underground in the root zone of turf and pasture grasses. Adults are 25–50 mm long, brownish and cylindrical, with short forewings, large shovel-like front legs adapted for digging, and a soft, almost hairless body compared with true crickets. They have small eyes and reduced antennae relative to body size, reflecting their subterranean habit. Nymphs look like smaller, wingless versions of the adults and are found in the same burrows and tunnels through the topsoil and thatch layer.
They excavate horizontal and vertical tunnels just below the surface, feeding on grass roots, stems, and sometimes surface organic matter, though the tunnelling itself causes most of the visible damage by drying out and loosening the root zone.
In Australian turf situations mole crickets are most active on warm, humid nights from spring through to autumn, when adults fly and males call to attract mates. Activity increases after rain or irrigation, which softens soil and brings them closer to the surface. Populations tend to build in sandy or well-drained soils typical of golf courses, bowling greens, sportsfields, and turf farms, particularly in warmer coastal and subtropical regions.
Management relies on monitoring to confirm activity before treatment, since damage can resemble other soil-dwelling pests or purely cultural problems. Maintaining healthy, well-rooted turf, avoiding over-watering, and reducing thatch can make conditions less favourable. Timing of any intervention is important, as mole crickets are most vulnerable to control measures when nymphs are small and active near the surface, typically in late spring to early summer.
How to identify
- Surface tunnelling: raised, meandering ridges or mounded tunnels across the turf surface, most visible in early morning.
- Spongy, loosened turf: the ground feels soft or hollow underfoot due to disrupted root zones.
- Patchy thinning or wilting: irregular areas of stressed or dying turf, especially in sandy, well-drained sites.
- Increased bird or predator activity: birds probing turf for grubs can indicate mole cricket presence.
Field check: a soap flush (mix a small amount of dishwashing detergent in a bucket of water and pour over a suspect area) will irritate mole crickets and bring them to the surface within a few minutes, confirming their presence and rough numbers. Alternatively, gently probe or lift loosened turf to check for tunnels and nymphs.
Lookalikes: tunnelling and turf lifting can be confused with African black beetle larvae or white grub damage, but these pests are found as C-shaped grubs feeding on roots rather than in open tunnels, and do not produce the same surface ridging. Earthworm castings can also be mistaken for mole cricket mounds but lack the continuous tunnel pattern.
