[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

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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]

Originally Posted by Phanatic Luvr

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

[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.