borellii) feed largely on animal matter and avoid established turf however, they damage seedlings in newly planted lawns, gardens, and fields.Д«ecause our pest mole crickets were introduced and occurred in much greater numbers here than in their homeland, University of Florida researchers concluded that they might be controlled by classical biological control-that is, by introducing natural enemies that had been left behind when they immigrated from South America. abbreviatus) do the same type of damage but are much more restricted geographically. vicinus) are major pests of established lawns and pastures, causing annual losses of $10's of millions. In the southeastern United States tawny mole crickets ( N. Members of this genus are the most damaging crickets in the New World. Eggs are laid in clutches of 25 to 60 in small ovoid chambers (4 x 3 cm) 9 to 30 cm below the surface. In the colder parts of their ranges they overwinter both as adults and large nymphs. Two-clawed mole crickets require a year or less for a generation. On the basis of a phylogeny proposed by Cadena-CastaГ±eda (2015), all but two species formerly in the genus Scapteriscus, were transverred to Neoscapteriscus, a new genus. Maps of when and where they were introduced and how they spread are on the species pages and in Walker & Nickle ( 1981). Our three species in this genus are native to South America and first became established in North America more than 90 years ago, apparently from stowaways in ships' ballast. The hindtibia has 3-6 long spines along its upper inner margin. The foretrochanter is armed with an elongate blade.

Members of this genus have two blade-like claws ( dactyls) on each foretibia and the auditory tympanum is exposed. In tropical and sub-tropical zones all stages can be found year round though most species time their egg laying with the beginning of the spring or early summer rainy seasons.Key to genera of mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae). The adults or near-adult nymphs dig deep into the soil and wait until warmer conditions. In moderate temperate zones, cool fall conditions cause most insects, including mole crickets, to become inactive. However, some species don=t reach adulthood until early the next spring and in unfavorable conditions, the mole crickets may even take two years to complete development. If conditions are favorable (moist soils and plentiful food), many mole crickets will reach adulthood by late fall (6 to 8 months after egg hatch).

Photograph 2.Typical mole cricket burrowing and damage to bermudagrass turf After rains or irrigation, the mole crickets will return to the surface to feed but when the soil dries or extreme heat occurs, they will rapidly move deep into their burrows. When they are about half mature (~2.0 to 2.5 cm), they are much more prone to dig deeper into the soils and by this time, summer heat and drought conditions can drive them 0.5 to 2.0 m into the soil.

The nymphs develop quite rapidly, undergoing several molts (shedding of their exoskeletons). These nymphs feed very close to the soil surface and are quite susceptible to surface insecticide applications. For this reason, most of the eggs are laid near water habitats and in turf that is less dense (fairways and roughs) but regularly irrigated. Newly hatched nymphs are only about 6 to 8 mm long but they can still dig through lose soil. This means that the adult females lay eggs that hatch into nymphs that look like miniature adults except they have no wings and are not able to reproduce. Mole crickets have what is called an incomplete life cycle. Most southern mole cricket adults have four light spots on the pronotum. This results in damage that must be repaired immediately before play resumes. Because of the dense surfaces, they literally have to tear the turf apart in order to dig in. Adult and near-adult mole crickets can dig through the dense roots of these surfaces or walk onto these surfaces under the cover of night where they dig in at random. Mole crickets can be extremely damaging to highly maintained golf course tees and putting greens. Mole cricket damage often appears as trails of yellowing and wilting turf, general thinning, soil pushed up in small 3-5 cm mounds, or trails of sand or soil where the turf is thin or absent. This can cause the roots to dry rapidly, and lose their ability to take up water and nutrients. All species damage turf as they burrow just under the turf surface which separates turf roots from soil particles. Some species prey on other insects and small invertebrates and other mole crickets feed on plants, primarily their roots. David Shetlar, The Ohio State University Mole crickets are highly specialized insects adapted for burrowing through soils.