Mole Crickets - Need advise on how to eliminate

[Phanatic Luvr]

Hoping someone can help me with this one. We have Mole Crickets which are destroying our front lawn. I have seen a few on my driveway and they are tunneling in my front lawn.
If you have had them, can you direct me as to how you eliminated them? Did you apply chemicals yourself, and if so, what did you apply or did you contact someone to come out and eliminate them?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx!!!!

[Bonanza]

You obviously have St. Augustine grass.
The only way to correct your problem is to use a granular insecticide which you would use in a (fertilizer type) spreader.
Make sure you do this according to the manufacturer's directions and that it is recommended for mole crickets.

WalMart is probably the least expensive place to purchase it.

[njbchbum]

All about mole crickets, their habits and their elimination: Molecrickets, Mole Crickets, Molecricket Elimination (http://molecrickets.com/)

And note: "Mole crickets are especially fond of Bermuda and centipede grass, but have also been found in St. Augustine lawns in the Florida Panhandle and along the Alabama coast." So, if not already done, you might want to confirm with a professional pesticide person that the critters are mole crickets.

[Phanatic Luvr]

You obviously have St. Augustine grass.
The only way to correct your problem is to use a granular insecticide which you would use in a (fertilizer type) spreader.
Make sure you do this according to the manufacturer's directions and that it is recommended for mole crickets.

WalMart is probably the least expensive place to purchase it.

Actually Bonanza, we have Zoysia grass. Hubby has applies a granular which he purchased at Ace and says it treats various bugs including ants, crickets, chinch bugs, etc.. but it is not helping, only getting worse. We don't know what else to do.

[Phanatic Luvr]

Ugly, aren't they???? I took this picture of one on my driveway. He's now dead!!!!!!!! It's war.

[KittyKat]

We had them in our Zoysia lawn several years ago & I think we still had Bates at that time who did a one-time treatment which was successful. Good luck!

[Bonanza]

Actually Bonanza, we have Zoysia grass. Hubby has applies a granular which he purchased at Ace and says it treats various bugs including ants, crickets, chinch bugs, etc.. but it is not helping, only getting worse. We don't know what else to do.

Okay . . . Get Ortho's Bug B Gon Max Insect Killer for Lawns.
All these words may not be on the package, but this product works for tons of bugs.
You may also have grubs that this would take care of.
This product is granules and]must be used with a spreader.
Follow the directions exactly.
This works for approximately 3 months, so don't overdo it.

Don't stress yourself by checking your lawn ten times a day.
Give the product a chance to work.
This definitely will solve your problem, so like I said --
try to be a little patient.
I would also re-apply it after three months.

You might also speak to your neighbors that surround you;
on an interior lot that would be five other houses.
Trust me when I say it isn't only your lawn.
They need to be proactive as well.

By the way, you definitely have mole crickets and they are common in Zoysia grass.

[boomerbaby]

we had massey come out and they got rid of them in one treatment, they did a followup treatment later on. Good luck.

[Aandjmassage]

Bug B Gon works for me as well 48806

[kchadwick]

We had them last year. Massey was no help. I exhausted every chemical that Home Depot had, went to the gardner clinic and finally ended up with Zoysia Green. They identified the problem and what ever they did, I got rid of them. However, crazy as it seems, I think that ammonia down the holes did help get rid of them although it is not recommended and everyone warned me that it would destroy my lawn. I personally was so disgusted with the mole crickets that I did not care. Anyhow, highly recommend Zoysia Green

[jrandall]

Service Smart got rid of ours!

[D&Lsunfun]

Stellar treated our problem, one application and they were gone and not returned in over a year. Buying products at the store isn't as strong and which one to buy and try. Ask a professional is my opinion. Act quickly before they make your yard their home.

[Phanatic Luvr]

Thanks to all! I have appreciated all the advise given. I'll let you all know what course of action I have taken and the results in the future.

[Ozzello]

The larva is fairly easy to kill with insecticide. The adults are pretty tough, and probably well adapted to anything off the shelf by now. They (adult insects) are pretty well impervious to the standard insecticides used to control insects by the pros as well.

If you were using a lawn treatment company, (and they were actually using chemicals in what they were spraying on your lawn), and all your neighbors are treating regularly as well, you can kind of keep them under control, BUT once you get a good infestation,
the chemicals that kill the adults is not available with out a pesticides license. You will see pictures on bags and the mole cricket listed on lots of over the counter products, but what they DON'T TELL YOU....is that amount of chemical concentration needed to do the job is not feasible , and/or the mole crickets in this area have been drinking it like beer since the early 90s when all the mole crickets and cinch bugs became impervious to the chemical.

I have driven 2x4s in the ground at night and began sawing the top with a skill saw and watched all the adults come out of the ground and leave my yard. Follow this with a good treatment or 3 to kill the larvae and you might get your population down to a minimum.

One of the great attributes of St. Augustine over Zoysia, is that it can recover a LOT faster from fungus, cinch bug and mole cricket damage... I know, I know, back home it was crab grass

[KayakerNC]

Killing the crickets is easy.
The problem is paying for the 10 thousand tiny funerals.

[Bonanza]

There are some incorrect things in Post #14.

Bug B Gon, an Ortho product, would have been taken off the market long ago if the product did not work. I don't think it was available 25 years ago.

Zoysia grass was not used here in The Villages 25 years ago (the early 90s). The main grass in use then was a type of St. Augustine and possibly some bahia (many people call this cow pasture grass). There's a big difference between crab grass and any type of St. Augustine.

[Ozzello]

There are some incorrect things in Post #14.

Bug B Gon, an Ortho product, would have been taken off the market long ago if the product did not work. I don't think it was available 25 years ago.

Zoysia grass was not used here in The Villages 25 years ago (the early 90s). The main grass in use then was a type of St. Augustine and possibly some bahia (many people call this cow pasture grass). There's a big difference between crab grass and any type of St. Augustine.

You mis quote me..as in past replies to other posts.

Never said Zoysia was used here 25 years ago, as it became the main sod used in TV during a rainy period preventing St Aug farms from cutting sod, around 10 years ago. Prior to that it wasn't used much south of the freeze line. Tallahasee north. (with good reason)

Yes, crab grass and St Aug are different, I was making a joke because many many many people have said to me.... oh nevermind, my time is more valuable than this.

[Bonanza]

You mis quote me..as in past replies to other posts.

Never said Zoysia was used here 25 years ago, as it became the main sod used in TV during a rainy period preventing St Aug farms from cutting sod, around 10 years ago. Prior to that it wasn't used much south of the freeze line. Tallahasee north. (with good reason)

Yes, crab grass and St Aug are different, I was making a joke because many many many people have said to me.... oh nevermind, my time is more valuable than this.

If I misquolted you in previous posts, it was because you weren't clear regarding to what you were making reference.

If I misquoted you in this thread, it was because the OP has zoysia grass and that was what we were talking about.
Since you mentioned "the early 90s" and did not mention St. Augustine by name, it is a fair assumption for anyone to assume the type of grass was still zoysia.

You made a joke? Was it funny?

[Ozzello]

If I misquolted you in previous posts, it was because you weren't clear regarding to what you were making reference.

If I misquoted you in this thread, it was because the OP has zoysia grass and that was what we were talking about.
Since you mentioned "the early 90s" and did not mention St. Augustine by name, it is a fair assumption for anyone to assume the type of grass was still zoysia.

You made a joke? Was it funny?

With mole crickets, the VARIETY of grass does not make a difference as to how to control the pests. Only the recovery of the grass would be different.

Some people talk a lot and say very little. Others speak words with weight and meaning. You won't waste any more of my time on this subject.

[kittygilchrist]

Having been trained by The UF IFAS extension agent Jim Davis in the Master Gardener program, I always know what to do.....
That is, find out what the researchers at UF say...UF is reponsible for educating the entire state about issues related to agriculture. They receive grant funds to do research.

IPM-206/IN1021: Mole Cricket IPM Guide for Florida (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1021)

Mole crickets fly at dusk for 1-2 hours during which they are attracted to light, especially ultraviolet and mercury-vapor lamps. To limit the incidence of mole crickets in turfgrass, lights should be turned off at a site during times of peak flight. Conversely, lights can be used to attract mole crickets for spot treatment with insecticides. If lights are necessary, yellow bulbs or filters can be used to minimize attraction of mole crickets.

[KeepingItReal]

Stellar treated our problem, one application and they were gone and not returned in over a year. Buying products at the store isn't as strong and which one to buy and try. Ask a professional is my opinion. Act quickly before they make your yard their home.

You can buy the same products as (the professionals) use..also you can know it was applied at the correct rate.

Talstar is available here:

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/talstar-products-c-40.html

The active ingredient in Talstar is Bifenthrin.

http://pestcontrol.domyownpestcontrol.com/search?w=mole%20crickets&view=grid

Exact same as Talstar Granules..

Bifen Granules, Bifenthrin granules, Bifen LP - Free Shipping (http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/bi...les-p-227.html)

[Bonanza]

You can buy the same products as (the professionals) use..also you can know it was applied at the correct rate.

Talstar is available here:

Talstar, Talstar One, Talstar Insecticide, Talstar Pest Control Products (http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/talstar-products-c-40.html)

The active ingredient in Talstar is Bifenthrin.

mole crickets - Do It Yourself Pest Control (http://pestcontrol.domyownpestcontrol.com/search?w=mole%20crickets&view=grid)

Exact same as Talstar Granules..

Bifen Granules, Bifenthrin granules, Bifen LP - Free Shipping (http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/bi...les-p-227.html)

Thank you for your post.

Since my previous posts on this thread, I have been educated. I didn't know currently, what the professional presticides were specifically, because I never had a need to know. Years ago in south Florida I used Bug B Gon and it worked because I never had a mole cricket problem of any great significance. If the OP's problem is really out of hand, he needs to use a stronger pesticide.