How to Get Rid of Mole Cricket | DIY Mole Cricket Control

Do you know how to get rid of mole cricket? Mole crickets are dreaded by homeowners across the United States because they create long tunnel systems that kill grass just by displacement.

If you’re noticing patches of dead grass accompanied by mounds of dirt in your lawn, then you could be dealing with a mole cricket infestation.

Meanwhile, in this article, you are going to learn how to identify and get rid of mole crickets.

 

How to Identify Mole Cricket

Mole cricket looks bizarre with features that seem almost crustacean-like, adult mole crickets grow to be about 1¼ to 1½ inches in length with body colors that can range from golden brown to dark brown depending on the species.

Mole crickets have powerful front legs developed for digging, this is how they got their name mole. These large front legs help them tunnel underground which leads to turf damage.

Mole crickets can be easily identified by a section on their body called the pronotum.

The pronotum seems almost grown from its head which lends to its lobster-like appearance.

Most species, but not all developed two pairs of wings and are capable of flying long distances.

Note: A mole cricket rear legs are not nearly as large as any other crickets. This is because mole crickets are not true crickets, but are instead distantly related.

 

Read also: Best Way to Get Rid of Crickets Outside

 

What do Mole Crickets Eat?

Mole crickets subsist off a diet of grass, roots, insects, and small annelids like earthworms.

 

Read also: How to Get Rid of Springtails | DIY Springtails Control

 

Signs of Mole Cricket Infestation

While searching for steps on how to get rid of the mole cricket, you need to consider inspecting your property for signs of mole cricket infestation as you will use it to direct treatment.

Mole crickets can be found not just underneath the turf, but also in flower beds looking for their next meal.

You might also spot juvenile or nymph of mole crickets from time to time. These younger mole crickets look like smaller versions of their adult counterparts but just without wings.

Below are steps to inspect for signs of mole cricket infestation:

• Check your lawn for any patches of dying or dead grass as mole crickets burrow into the Earth. They uproot the grass, killing patches at a time.
• Check around any patches you find for small mounds of dirt.
• If you have exposed soil in your yard, check for tunnel lines in your soil surface to be sure you’re dealing with mole crickets.

 

Read also: How to Get Rid of Grub Worms Naturally and With Chemicals

 

How to Get Rid of Mole Crickets Naturally

Natural ways on how to get rid of mole cricket are economical due to zero spending.

 

Using Dishwashing Solution:

You can flush mole crickets out of the ground by pouring a solution of one spoon of dishwashing soap and one gallon of water over suspected patches.

Pour 1 gallon over 1 square yard at a time. Nymph or adult mole cricket should surface within a few minutes.

 

Using Homemade Traps:

You can set up traps with sticky paper and place them at positions you spot mole crickets infesting. This sticky trap will prevent mole cricket from escaping once they come in contact with it.

 

Set-up Baits:

Setting up baits is another technique used to get rid of mole crickets. Place a yellow plastic at spot mole cricket infest, keep a bucket of water below it. Once they fall into the bucket of water, they drown and die.

 

Handpicking:

Handpicking is another step on how to get rid of mole cricket. The mole crickets are slow in movement, this makes it easy for them to be handpicked.

 

How to Get Rid of Mole Crickets with Chemicals

Dealing with chemicals without proper protective equipment is hazardous, ensure to wear your personal protective equipment or PPE, and remember to keep all people and pets off the treated areas until dry.

To get rid of mole crickets, you’ll need to use insecticides labeled for mole cricket control like:

Bifen L/P: this is a granular insecticide that will need to be watered into the soil.

Dominion 2L: this is a systemic insecticide that easily gets absorbed into the grass.

 

Using Bifen L/P Granules

Using Bifen L/P, we recommend following up with a broadcast treatment of dominion 2L.

When mole crickets feed on the grassroots, they’ll be poisoned and died out of these insecticides together.

Create a one-two punch effectively, eliminating mole crickets from your lawn.

You want to start your treatment using Bifen LP during late spring or early fall when most mole cricket eggs should be hatching.

 

How to Apply

1. Start your application closer towards the end of the day to ensure maximum contact with the product.
2. You may water the lawn prior to treatment to drive mole crickets toward the surface.
3. Calculate your treatment area’s square footage by measuring the length and width and multiplying them together. You’ll use this to determine how many projects you will need to use.
4. Treating just a spot to found mole crickets in will not guarantee that they won’t move to other areas.
5. Spray been granules over the entire lawn using a push spreader to apply the label drape of 2.3 pounds of product per 1,000 square feet of the treatment area.
6. Load your spreader with the proper amount of Bifen LP and evenly distribute all of it throughout your treatment area.
7. Broadcast half your granules in parallel lines, once across the area then broadcast the other half at a perpendicular angle to cover the area in its entirety.
8. Once you’ve finished with the Bifen LP application. It’ll need to be watered into the soil to reach the turf’s root zone. Do this with an application of dominion 2L.

 

Using Dominion 2L Insecticide

Dominion 2L is a liquid insecticide concentrate. So we’ll need to be mixed with water before application. It won’t only aid in activating the Bifen granules, but will also provide effective control of the mole crickets, and many other insects for up to 90 days.

How to Apply

To treat mole crickets with Dominion 2L.

1. Apply the labeled rate of 0.6 fluid ounces of dominion 2L per 1,000 square feet of the treatment area.
2. We recommend using a 20-gallon hose-end sprayer, sensual make broad applications throughout the entire lawn.
3. Use enough water to push the Bifen granules and Dominion treatment down into the soil to an isolated area of turf.
4. Use a 1-gallon hand pump sprayer. Using a 20-gallon hose-end sprayer, you have to remove the reservoir from the nozzle, make sure the sprayers control valve and your water pump are off.
5. Attach the nozzle to the hose at the proper amount of dominion 2L.
6. Fill the reservoir with enough water to treat the entire lawn to make sure you thoroughly coat the area and water in the pipe.
7. Use 2 gallons of water per thousand square feet of the treatment area.
8. Double-check to ensure your control valve and water pump are still off then reattach the reservoir to the nozzle.
9. Once you’ve ensured a tight connection. You can now turn the water on to spray.
10. Spray to kill mole crickets in your lawn, evenly distribute the entire amount of product over your treatment area.

Note: These products active ingredient is very toxic to bees and other pollinators. Only apply to landscape beds when pollinators are not actively foraging.

 

How to Prevent Mole Crickets

Mole crickets may later want to return to your property, ensure to perform regular lawn care strategies in order to maintain a green lawn that will keep down pest infestation.

1. Rake and dethatcher lawn regularly for aeration.
2. Trim tree branches to reduce shade and promote proper water retention in your lawn.
3. Mow your grass to a taller height, about 3 to 4 inches to encourage route growth.
4. Ensure you fertilize your lawn with the proper amount of nitrogen it needs.

 

Conclusion

Mole crickets are destructive turf, passing the United States, especially in the South where they dig up and kill patches of grass, but with these DIY guides on how to get rid of mole cricket, you will be able to get total control of mole cricket infestation.

Keep visiting pestclue for more DIY hacks on pest and pest control, do well to share!

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