Mole cricket habitat. Medvedka: description of how to get rid of mole crickets in the garden forever

Medvedka is one of the most dangerous pests on a summer cottage. This is an insect in short time capable of destroying great amount harvest, and it is quite difficult to fight it. That is why you should study in more detail the characteristics 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:

1. Class insects.
2. Order Orthoptera.
3. Superfamily Cricketaceae.
4. The mole cricket family.
5. 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 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:

1. Hind springy legs. With their help, the bear can jump.
2. There are small claws on the front paws. They allow the insect to quickly dig through hard and dry soil.
3. A photograph of a mole cricket shows a pair of whiskers on the front of its head. With their help, the insect catches odors.
4. 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.

Known the following types insect:

• 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 from it falls 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 various types. 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 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 – 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, 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.

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. Eggs have oval shape and yellow 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:

1. Egg.
2. Larva.
3. Nymph.
4. 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. As the larvae mature, they pass different quantity molts, which can reach 10. After this, the cabbage weed 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 find it in the garden

In most cases, the earthen 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;
• holes round shape on the ground surface, which 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 suffer.

Mole cricket eggs left in burrows turn into larvae. They are also used as food root system plants and only aggravate the harm. 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.

The mole cricket (aka cabbage mole cricket) is an arthropod insect that belongs to the order Orthoptera, suborder long-whiskered, superfamily Cricketaceae, mole cricket family (lat. Gryllotalpidae), mole cricket subfamily (lat. Gryllotalpinae).

Where did the name “bear” come from?

Mole crickets got their name for their large size, brownish-brown color, massive clawed front paws and pubescent body, which makes it possible to compare this insect with a bear. There are several popular names for these insects: cabbage grass, mole cricket or cricket mole, earthen crayfish, top.

The animal is called a cabbage plant for its love of young cabbage seedlings. The Latin name of the mole cricket from the genus Gryllotalpa sounds like “mole cricket”. This is confirmed by the similarity with a cricket in the structure of the body and the ability to make sounds. The mole cricket resembles a mole with its widened front paws and the ability to burrow into the ground. The front part of the insect resembles a crayfish: the structure of the head, shell, mustache and paws, somewhat similar to claws. The mole cricket is called a top because of the sharp claws on its front paws, reminiscent of wolf teeth.

Medvedka - description and photo. What does a bear look like?

Mole crickets are large insects. The length of their body varies from 3.5 to 5 cm, and the thickness reaches 1.2-1.5 cm. The body of the cabbage plant is colored silky brownish-brown on top, and brownish-yellow on the bottom. The insect's body is covered with tiny hairs.

The head of the mole cricket has a prognathic, or straight, position in relation to the body. Its axis coincides with the axis of the body, and the oral organs, which are powerful jaws, are directed forward. Near the jaws there are 2 pairs of tentacles.

The large, clearly visible eyes of the mole cricket have a facet structure and are located on the sides of the head. Thread-like antennae grow on the head of the insect, slightly extending beyond the pronotum. They are shorter compared to the whiskers of other representatives of crickets.

The large and flat pronotum of the mole cricket with the lateral parts (blades) hanging down is distinctive feature insect. The midthorax and metathorax of the insect are connected. The head and front part of the animal's body are covered with a dense chitinous shell - a device for pushing and compacting the earth when digging holes. Because of this shell, the mole cricket resembles a crayfish.

The abdomen of the cabbage plant is thick, reaching 1 cm in diameter, consists of 10 tergites and 8-9 sternites. The apex of the abdomen has anal and genital plates. Females do not have an ovipositor. The last segment of the abdomen has long, flexible cerci, or caudal appendages, covered with small hairs, resembling antennae in appearance.

• The forewings are transformed into short and leathery elytra, covered with thick veins. In length they reach only the middle of the abdomen. The left elytra of insects from the cricket superfamily is always covered by the right one.
• The hind pair are long, wide, transparent, membranous wings with fine venation. In a calm state, they are folded like a fan under the elytra and extended along the abdomen in the form of cords. During the flight of an insect, the hind wings take on Active participation, while the elytra are involved to a limited extent.

Males differ from females in the venation of their elytra. There are also wingless individuals of both sexes, but they are less common. By the way, the larvae do not have wings.

By the way, the auditory apparatus (or organ of hearing) of the mole cricket, like that of many other chirping orthoptera insects (grasshoppers, crickets), is located on the shins of the forelimbs and has an oval or narrow slit-like shape.

The insect's hind legs are strong and designed for locomotion. inside 1-4 spines are located. The claw-like forelimbs are a digging apparatus. The thigh and lower leg are greatly expanded, and the tarsus is shortened. On the shin there are 4, and on the tarsus there are 2 black spike-like teeth, with which the mole cricket crashes into the ground. There are auditory openings on the front legs of the mole cricket. They have an oval or narrow-slit shape.

What sounds does a bear make?

By rubbing the hard front elytra against each other, the mole cricket produces sounds that can be heard at a distance of more than half a kilometer. Stridulation, or trills, facilitates communication between insects. By the way, the stridulatory apparatus of representatives of the cricket superfamily and that of grasshoppers differ:

• In crickets, the vein-bow is located on the right elytra, and the vein against which the bow rubs is located on the left.
• The stridulatory apparatus of grasshoppers occupies a smaller area on the elytra and is not as developed.

Mostly male mole crickets sing, but females are also capable of chirping. A mole cricket can make sounds both during the day and at night, being both on the surface of the earth and underground. The calling night trills of males are loud, their sound is sharp and low. When moving through underground passages, insects emit shorter and dull chirping sounds. By the way, the sound power of a mole cricket is 1.4 mW. For comparison: in a cricket this figure reaches 0.06 mW.

What does a bear eat?

Mole cricket is the most common pest of vegetable, fruit, melon, berry, garden crops. These insects damage roots, tubers, root collars, seeds, underground parts of plants, and sometimes even eat seedlings and young plants. Mole crickets destroy potatoes, beets (table, sugar and fodder), cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, onions, beans, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, turnips, rutabaga, radishes, pumpkin, watermelons, melons, sweet potatoes, grapes, poppy seeds, hemp, sunflowers , hops, tobacco, flax, strawberries, strawberries, various shrubs, parsley and other umbelliferous plants. Mole crickets damage crops of wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, rice, millet, soybeans, chumise, paisa, and kaoliang.

In the southern regions they destroy more exotic plants: citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines, lemons), tea, cotton, peanuts, cotton. In nurseries and young gardens, trees such as apple trees, pears, plums, cherries, sweet cherries, apricots, and peaches can suffer from mole crickets. In forests, the insect damages the roots of young oaks, beeches, pines, poplars, spruces and other trees.

If on the path of a mole cricket there are larvae living in the soil, she will also eat them. Sometimes a mole cricket can even eat another mole cricket.

It is believed that mole crickets love corn, beets and potatoes most of all. However, they have the greatest and brightest feeling for cabbage, for which they are sometimes called cabbages.

When it comes to cabbage, the mole cricket does not know when to stop. She eats the root, young shoots, and sometimes the fruits themselves.

Based on your mole cricket's eating preferences, you can protect its favorite treats from attacks.

For example, plant garlic around the perimeter of other beds, which the insect avoids.

Where does the bear live?

Mole crickets are distributed almost everywhere in Europe (except Norway and Finland), in the Middle and South-East Asia, in the Caucasus, on the islands of Japan, the Philippine Islands, India, Vietnam, China, Indonesia. These insects also live in North Africa, Australia, North and South America. In Russia, the mole cricket is found everywhere - from the European part to the Far East, except for the northern regions of the country.

The habitat of the mole cricket is wet places, meadows, floodplains of rivers and other bodies of water. Insects live mainly in underground passages. They burrow in fertilized, well-warmed, humus soil of vegetable gardens and melon fields, and are often found near irrigation canals and in wetlands. They love places with high groundwater levels.

Lifestyle of mole cricket (kapusyanka)

Basically, mole crickets lead a hidden lifestyle. They stay underground all day, making passages in the surface layer of soil and eating plants encountered along the way. They only come to the surface at night. The presence of mole crickets on the site can only be determined by winding, loosened ridges of earth, holes in the soil and completely healthy-looking plants that suddenly begin to die.

At night, mole crickets crawl out of their burrows to the surface and move to other areas in search of food. Sometimes they fly considerable distances. They are often attracted to bright lights. During breeding, female mole crickets fly towards the sounds made by males for mating.

The mole cricket quickly burrows into the ground and moves, flies and swims beautifully, overcoming even significant water obstacles. The insect has adapted to swimming due to the fact that floodplain areas, the mole cricket’s favorite habitats, are filled with water during the spring flood.

Mole cricket reproduction

Mole crickets begin to reproduce in the spring, after a mass exit from wintering. Their fertilization is spermatophore, like other representatives of Orthoptera. Mating takes place underground. Offspring appear in summer.

For their offspring, insects prepare a home: they dig complex, densely branched labyrinths around the roots of plants and, at a shallow depth (5-10 cm from the surface), arrange spherical nests about 10 cm in diameter. Individuals of both sexes take part in this process. Inside the ball there is a nesting chamber the size of egg, the walls of which are well compacted. There, the female mole cricket lays from 300-350 to 600 eggs. This is a very important period for the survival of insects, because the offspring located underground are completely dependent on temperature and humidity. The female does not leave the nest, guarding it, maintaining ventilation and temperature. To do this, she clears the passages from the ground, eats up the roots of plants that cast a shadow on the nesting site. Mole cricket eggs are similar to millet grains: oval, yellowish-gray, 2 mm in size.

After 10-20 days, depending on the soil temperature, gray, six-legged, wingless larvae (nymphs) emerge from the eggs, which live in the nest under the protection of the female for 20-30 days. At the end of this period of time, the female begins to freeze and after some time dies. After this, the mole cricket larvae crawl away, dig separate holes and begin to feed. The development of larvae takes a long time, with incomplete transformation. This period differs in different regions. In the south they develop within 1-2 years, in the north 2-2.5 years. The mole cricket larva is similar to the adult, but with smaller sizes, underdeveloped wings and genitals. In the early stages of development, they are very mobile, nimble and jump well, like grasshoppers. During the period of development from larva to mature adult, mole crickets molt 8-9 times.

Where and how does the mole cricket winter?

Mole cricket larvae of 2-6 instars (implying 2-6 molts) and adults overwinter in soil, humus or manure. They burrow much deeper into the ground than in summer. The larvae deepen by 25 cm, adults - by 60, and sometimes 100-120 cm. They make winter depressions at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees. After wintering, mole crickets come to the surface when the soil temperature reaches 12-15 degrees.

Nest

The insect's nest is truly unique! It is represented by a small underground space at a depth of 10-15 cm. There are passages dug around the “family hearth” and there are four exits to the surface along the edges.

The female laying eggs is able to close and open these passages, thereby regulating the temperature and humidity in the nest, creating the best conditions for the development of eggs and newborn larvae.

In the nest, the female gnaws the roots of plants, thereby destroying all vegetation on the surface so that the sun warms this area of ​​​​the ground as much as possible.

Types of mole crickets, photos and names.

Medvedkas hardly differ from each other in appearance and lifestyle. Some can be distinguished from each other only by the number of chromosomes.

According to the latest research and information presented on the website orthoptera.speciesfile.org, the Far Eastern mole cricket (lat. Gryllotalpa fossor) is synonymous with the African mole cricket (lat. Gryllotalpa africana).

Common mole cricket

Common mole cricket (lat.Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) - a widespread species. The body size of the insect reaches 3.5-5 cm, the length of the pronotum is 1.2-1.6 cm, the elytra is 1.3-2.1 cm, the hind femur is 1-1.3 cm. The body is dark brown, with lighter, brownish-yellow belly, covered with dense small hairs. The head and back are almost black. The abdomen is yellowish or olive in color. Widely distributed in Europe, except Scandinavian countries. The common mole cricket also lives in Russia, North Africa and some areas of Asia: in the Transcaucasus, Asia Minor and Western Asia, the Middle East, Iran, Kazakhstan.

African mole cricket

African mole cricket (eastern mole cricket) (lat.Gryllotalpa africana) has smaller dimensions than the common mole cricket: the body is 2.0-3.5 cm, the length of the pronotum is 0.6-0.9 cm, the length of the elytra is 0.8-1.2 cm. The color is brown-yellow above and yellow below. African mole crickets live in Central, South and Southeast Asia, on the Japanese and Philippine Islands, in Ceylon and Madagascar, in Korea, on Far East Russia, Australia, New Zealand, the tropics and subtropics of Africa.

Ten-toed mole cricket

Ten-toed mole cricket(lat.Neocurtilla hexadactyla) - a variety characterized by its small size: from 1.9 to 3.3 cm in length. Initially, these mole crickets inhabited North and Central America, and from there they settled into South America.

A close relative of the common mole cricket is the ten-toed mole cricket. The body length of an adult does not exceed 35 mm, and the thickness is 8-11 mm. It feeds on plant roots, young shoots and leads an underground lifestyle.

The main natural enemy of the insect is the burrowing wasp, which attacks the mole cricket in its burrow, stings (with paralyzing poison) and uses it as an incubator for its eggs.

Steppe mole cricket

Steppe mole cricket(lat.Gryllotalpastepposa) - a morphological double of the common mole cricket, that is, it is absolutely similar in appearance. The length of the insect reaches 4-5.4 cm. The body color is brown-yellow. The habitat of the mole cricket is Moldova, southern Ukraine, Southern District Russia and the south of Turkmenistan.

Single-thorn mole cricket

Single-thorn mole cricket (lat. Gryllotalpa unispina). The body length of the insect varies from 3.8 to 4.4 cm, the length of the oval pronotum is 1.1-1.3 cm, the elytra is 1.5-1.7 cm. The body structure, lifestyle, nutrition and reproduction of this insect are characteristic for the whole family, like the brownish-yellow color. It is a halophile, that is, it is found on saline soils along the shores of seas and lakes, as well as on wet salt marshes. Single-spined mole crickets live in the south of Moldova and Ukraine, in the Lower Volga region of Russia and the Rostov region, in Crimea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan and China. Its habitat may change depending on the distribution of salt marshes and solonetzes.

Mole cricket as bait for fish

Mole cricket has long been known as an excellent bait for fishing large fish. Insects must be alive. To do this, they are kept in a container with soil and air access, preferably one at a time, feeding if necessary. Experienced fishermen disagree on how to place a mole cricket on a hook - starting from the head, through the chest and abdomen, or stringing 2-3 mole crickets, piercing them through the chest. To make the bait more attractive and give off the proper aroma, its belly is cut. It is believed that catfish, chub, barbel, and asp bite well on mole crickets.

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.

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.

• Dried mole cricket has long been used to prepare a powder that is used to make a medicine for tuberculosis. Some believe that this powder helps treat cancer.
• In some countries of Southeast Asia, for example, in Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, mole crickets are considered a delicacy. They are consumed fried, stewed, pickled, with or without the addition of all kinds of seasonings.
• IN wildlife The mole cricket is beneficial by destroying the larvae of cockchafers and other insects that harm plants.

Medvedka as a medicine

No matter how scary the mole cricket looks, it turns out to be a very useful insect. Traditional medicine claims: the use of mole crickets as a medicine is recognized today as very effective means in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis! The body of these insects contains an enzyme that destroys the waxy shell of Koch's bacillus. In addition, it contains various minerals and vitamins, so preparations from mole crickets are easily absorbed by the patient’s body.

Here one of the recipes:

Grind 30 g of dried mole cricket into powder, divide by 9 equal parts(3.3 grams each) - this amount is enough for one 3-day course. Take 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals, 1 part (3.3 g), mixed with sugar syrup or honey, wash down with water. Treatment involves 3-6 courses with a break of 10 days.

That's it, bear!

Mole cricket as food

Medvedka has been here for a long time traditional dish in many Asian countries: China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Mole crickets are a delicacy in Mexico and some African countries. Medvedka is fried, boiled, dried, dried and even canned.

IN next video: Thai peasants routinely catch a dozen mole crickets for dinner and demonstrate that it is edible and tasty.

Video

Sources

https://nashzeleniymir.ru/medvedka

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- one of the most common pests of gardens and vegetable gardens, many summer residents have had to deal with. The insect, referred to as the crustacean, cabbage weed or spinning top, prefers to live in the humus-rich soils of gardens and greenhouses, as well as in fields with cereals. This frightening-looking arthropod is truly capable of instilling fear in a person meeting it for the first time. Of particular concern are the front limbs of the garden pest, which resemble peculiar claws. Because of this, the question often arises whether a mole cricket bites or not and whether contact with it should be avoided.

Is mole cricket dangerous for humans?

Medvedkas differ in their dimensions. From 3 to 8 cm, the insect has an elongated body of a yellow-brown color. The ventral part is olive-yellow. The insect is the owner of, permeated with many veins, and three pairs of legs.

Having encountered a rather large creature, various doubts arise. The question of whether mole crickets bite is one of the frequently asked questions.

Some people believe that the insect should not be picked up with your hands, since a mole cricket bite can have a negative impact on humans. Negative consequences in the form of an increase in temperature, the development of a gag reflex, headaches, general weakness and other symptoms that are caused by a deadly poison entering the blood.

However, we hasten to reassure those who think that the mole cricket is poisonous. The root crop pest is not able to bite through human skin. Painful sensations upon contact with it are caused by the forelimbs, which have peculiar pointed teeth. With their help, the insect breaks into the ground and damages the root system of plants. However, neither such claws nor oral apparatus do not have such strong muscles as to damage human skin.

On a note!

Being in the hand of a person, the insect, under pain of danger, strives to free itself from captivity in any way. Trying to pinch the offender with its paws, it presses itself against the hand. Many people perceive the resulting painful sensations as the fact that the mole cricket is biting.

Therefore, the answer to the question of whether the mole cricket is dangerous for humans is negative. But, despite this, it is still necessary and must be done in a timely manner.

About the harm caused

Every experienced gardener knows how dangerous mole crickets are for green spaces. The insect prefers to live underground at a depth of up to 0.5 m, digging winding passages and burrows. As a result, the roots of the crops are damaged, causing the latter to wither and become sick. Insects pose a particular danger to young seedlings.

The mole cricket uses for food not only the roots and root crops located in the ground, but also the above-ground parts of plants. The insect's favorite delicacy is cabbage and onion. The larvae harm potatoes, carrots, eggplants, and cucumbers. Bulbous flowers, shrubs and trees often suffer from pest attacks. All this hinders the growth of green crops and sometimes causes their death.

If you want to imagine a monster, then think about the bear. There is no gardener who does not know what kind of animal this is. And there is nothing unusual about it. All her terrible attributes are technical means, which are determined by its habitat and way of life.

What kind of pest is the mole cricket?

This is a garden pest. Only, unlike ground caterpillars, beetles, aphids and others, it creeps up to the roots of plants from underground, breaking through burrows.

It can go to the roots from below, or it can move along the very surface of the earth, especially along watered beds. Then her characteristic mark will remain on them - a shallow “tunnel”, visible from the lumps of earth thrown away by her paws, or raised by her head and body.

Such a trace, of course, “unmasks” it, but, as a rule, it’s too late. In a garden bed, for example, of cabbage, a day or two later you can observe a disappointing picture: the battle path of this beast is laid from one plant to another, and all their roots are completely eaten.

And the shoots, carefully planted yesterday, either lie lifelessly right there, or, still alive, but already withering, stick out at random from the ground, without hope of further growth.

And the mole cricket attacks most often at night. It is these two characteristics of her lifestyle - nocturnal and underground - that make her a very insidious enemy of the garden.

Photo and description

Mole crickets (gryllotalpa)- family of Orthoptera insects. 110 species, found everywhere.

The head, surrounded by a protective shell, and the front legs, “narrowly specialized” for digging tunnels, make the front part of the body look like a crayfish “from the front.”

Also expressive crayfish eyes and restless long mustache.

If you look closely at the “face” of this creature, you can see where the mouth is... something similar to a dog’s muzzle. The second half of the body is unexpectedly long, soft and ends with two long antennae-like appendages - the cerci. It remains to add that it is also winged.

Life cycle of a mole cricket

An adult female mole cricket builds a nest underground, not very deep, which it fills with eggs. On top it is covered with a dome, which can be distinguished on the surface as an elevation. This is for “incubation”, solar heating.

Hundreds of larvae hatch from the clutch, exactly like the mother, only small ones - 2-3 mm. and faded in color, the skin and shell of the head are thin and unstable. They will grow for several years. From a certain age, the rudiments of wings will appear.

Insects become adults at the age of 1-2 years (5-10 molts) and begin to lead a full-fledged lifestyle.

First of all, they can fly. They fly in the warm season, but not very high, up to 5 meters, and not far, reluctantly, after all, this is not their element. Only to fly to other places from their sisters and brothers in order to avoid overcrowding in the place of their birth. They grow quite impressive, 5-8 cm, or even more.

In winter, they usually hide in the ground - they are able to go to a depth of 1.5-2.0 meters. Or take shelter under a warm pile of manure. But for warm winters recent years and in winter they are able to feed and grow.

What does it eat?

Mole crickets are omnivorous; they love young spring roots, which is where the main harm from mole crickets lies in their consumption. When the plants are well rooted, this damage from the “bear robbery” is no longer so noticeable.

They eat earthworms, larvae and pupae of other insects, and even an adult insect, but smaller, underground can get them for lunch.

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Many summer residents are faced with pests that destroy crops and damage plants.

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Harm of mole crickets to the garden

There are also benefits from the mole cricket. Just like other inhabitants of the soil, they make passages in it, which promotes soil aeration, the growth of bacteria and fungi in it, which improves fertility.

But it’s bad that the mole cricket is gnawing on young roots. This is hard to come to terms with in the spring, when every planted shoot counts. When the plants get stronger, they can compensate for their losses with vigorous growth. They eat with appetite and root vegetables - potatoes, radishes - they eat them clean. And what you haven’t finished eating is already spoiled. It reaches out to a strawberry hanging close to the ground and also bites off a good piece, after which the strawberry usually becomes moldy and rots.

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How to deal with mole cricket?

In another article we covered the question of how to get rid of it in the garden. Let's talk about the fight against the mole cricket. The fight against mole crickets is long-standing and dramatic. First of all, it follows from the properties and behavior of the insect itself. But first you need to think about prevention.

Preventive measures

Preventive measures:

1. Since manure is a blanket against the cold for mole crickets, put things in order with the storage of manure and compost. For this purpose, a box is allocated, better separated from the area with planting grooves or a deep fence.
2. Manure is applied to the soil in the fall after harvesting. Manure is thrown all over the site in small piles. And already before winter, deep digging is carried out, while:
   • manure is evenly mixed with the soil;
   • all mole crickets that have settled down for the winter are destroyed.
3. The mole cricket is picky and does not like certain smells. Alder and bird cherry may have learned to fight this pest and secrete something with their roots that it does not like. Therefore, you can plant these plants around the perimeter of the site. There are also flowers that can be “presented” to the bear. Marigolds and marigolds, which our grandmothers once used to decorate their gardens, also cause serious allergies in mole crickets. To the point that the mole cricket completely leaves the gardens where these flowers, so dear to us, are planted.

Control during plant growth

Methods for controlling mole crickets during plant growth:

1. Spring digging of soil can also help in the fight against mole crickets frolicking in the spring expanse of growing weed roots. We dig and look closely. The mole cricket is a nimble beast that burrows into the ground in a matter of seconds. You can crush it, you can feed it to the birds. You should try to detect nests of mole crickets especially carefully. Open the nest and pour boiling water over it. Baby bears are so small and the color of the earth that collecting them all, and there can be up to 400 of them, is simply unthinkable. Or a pesticide, however, this is not environmentally friendly, and does not provide such confidence in complete treatment as abundant boiling water.
2. On the moist soil of watered beds with vegetative plants, the next days after watering you can see fresh mole cricket tunnels. The mole crickets may be right there in the ground nearby. If the bed is intensively flooded with water, the mole crickets will float up. This can be used to capture and destroy them. However, this method generally applies to loose and sandy loam soils, which are not afraid of excess water.
3. You can fill the found mole cricket burrows with soapy water., best using laundry soap. The mole cricket will come out. Washing powder for the same purposes, this is already chemistry; in the area where plants that are food products are grown, it is undesirable to use them.

Traps

The advantage of traps is that, once installed, they begin to work themselves.

Traps:

1. Trapper jar. Bury the jar in the ground where the mole cricket usually digs its holes. The mole cricket will walk through its already dug tunnel and fall into the jar. And her paws, shovels, and rakes still won’t help her get out of there. A little water in such a jar will help attract the pest. You can, on the contrary, anoint the inside of the jar with honey.
2. Catching bottle. Bury a half-liter glass bottle with the remains of beer (!) diagonally into the ground so that the neck sticks out and the mole cricket can reach it and climb. After a week or two, you can repeat the fascinating procedure of “updating” the catch bottles.
3. Trap pit. In the fall, dig several holes (1-3) up to 0.6-0.8 meters deep in the area. Pour manure and compost into it. This will be the warm wintering place offered to the mole cricket. When nature, and with it the mole crickets, serenely fall asleep for the winter, the pit is opened and the mole crickets come to you for final peace.

Lures

You can crush the eggshells and pour it well with fragrant unrefined sunflower oil. Place this composition under the roots of the seedlings.

The mole cricket will prefer this fatty and aromatic treat to the nondescript roots of the seedlings and will earn itself fatal indigestion. And the remaining feed will be used as completely environmentally friendly fertilizer.

Anti-infiltration

In addition to methods of dealing with the mole cricket at its “crime scene,” you can simply prevent it from reaching the coveted roots of plants, creating all sorts of obstacles for it:

1. Protect the roots of the seedlings You can use peat or paper cups or small bags. They will serve while the plants are weak and have not taken root. And then, after all the watering and loosening, the cups, pierced by a “hail” of growing roots, will simply merge with the surrounding soil.
2. Fence an entire garden bed armor made of sheet metal strip. The strip is dug to a depth of 25-30 cm and serves as protection against horizontal penetration into the bed. And it will penetrate from below, will walk along the fence in a circle and will definitely catch you.
3. Fence the entire area a ditch or clogged stakes of plants that the mole cricket does not like - alder or bird cherry.

Fencing the bed with metal and the entire area with a ditch, in addition to preventing mole crickets, can also serve as protection against weed rhizomes that are constantly attacking your plot.

Modern methods of fighting

The heavy artillery of current agricultural technology is chemicals, which are constantly being developed against all kinds of pests.

Medvedka is no exception here. A bunch of chemicals are released with the bear as their goal. But the use of chemistry is justified only as an emergency remedy against an inevitable pest invasion.

Simple chemical protection, used back in the middle of the last century, was as follows: porridge was cooked from wheat or some other grain or cereal and generously poisoned with a toxic chemical: DDT, Karbofos. This medicine was laid out in beds near the passages, or stuffed into mole cricket burrows. DDT was later banned for use, but the method is still used today, if you do not take into account the possible harm from the chemicals accumulated in plants.

Chemicals against mole crickets:

1. Drugs are used in different ways, instructions for their use, along with instructions for observing the necessary precautions, are available on or in the packaging with the pesticide. They are most often dissolved in water in a given proportion and the solution is poured into the beds or into specially made grooves between the rows.
2. Some preparations are intended for treating roots planting material before boarding. Before planting, the roots are soaked in the solution for 2-3 hours.
3. There is a drug that acts on females, Phenaxin+. They like it, they can even build a nest in close proximity to the delicacy. And you can help them - add it to a special hole in the manure or compost. These are granules that not only kill mole crickets, but also dissolve in the soil, losing their toxicity.

Biological agents

Biological agents against mole crickets:

• Products from bioproducts, for example, Otmed. It is made from extracts of various pungent and fragrant plants: pepper, wormwood, garlic, milkweed, tar, spoiled fish. The mole cricket runs away from the drug like the plague.
• Miko and microbiology. The drug Boverin, a biological pesticide from the fungus "Boveria", is effective against many types of insects and mites.
• Natural enemies of mole crickets. Mole cricket, unlike other pests, at least more nasty ones, such as, for example, Colorado beetle, non-venomous insect. And looking at how ordinary sedate hens are ready to organize races among themselves, just to feast on a garden pest unexpectedly handed to one of them, we can conclude that for many animals it is a real delicacy. They love her:
  • Lizards.
  • Ground beetles.
  • Ants.
  • Moles.
  • Birds.

A special fan of mole crickets is the hoopoe. A bright striped bird, cuckooing in its own way, with a long nose and a long forelock at the back of the head. The hoopoe very diligently knows how to cultivate vegetable gardens specifically for mole crickets. With his long nose, he is able to find and eat good game, in terms of weight. And this will serve people well.

Stories from our readers!
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Conclusion

The mole cricket is a traditional enemy of our gardens, worthy of respect. And let's not use prohibited techniques in the fight against them. After all, it is possible to mobilize many allies for this war, and not resort to dirty and harmful means for everyone.