What Are Mole Crickets?

• What they look like: Crickets are roughly 1.5 inches long and have shovel-like front legs that dig easily through soil.
• Damage: Mole Crickets tunnel through soil, eating roots and creating areas of dead lawn that feels spongy when you walk on it. Skunks, raccoons and armadillos may dig up lawn searching for Crickets.
• Diagnose: Watch for small piles of soil scattered on grass. Blend 1.5 ounces of liquid dishwashing soap into 2 gallons of water. Sprinkle the solution over 4 square feet of turf. If 2-3 mole crickets appear within 3 minutes, treat the lawn.
• Affected areas: Mole Crickets are destructive lawn pests throughout the South, including tropical areas. They also attack lawns in the Desert Southwest, Mountain West and High Plains. Any species of grass can be damaged by Mole Crickets, but they particularly like Bahiagrass and Bermudagrass.