Turf Toughie: Mole crickets

Adult southern mole cricket / Photograph by Paul M. Choate, University of Florida.

Everyone “knows” mole crickets are not found north of the Ohio River. But both Larry Everett, professor of horticulture at Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio, and a number of his turf-savvy students have seen mole crickets on nearby courses. What Everett likes to ask his superintendents-in-training who think they’ve found  is: “What do you do now?”

You, there, looking at the computer monitor! How would you respond? A good answer will include several steps.

The very first thing Everett wants superintendents to do is to be sure of their identification. Next, they need to establish how a large or widespread a population they are dealing with. That analysis should include pinpointing the lifecycle stage of the insect. Then, Everett wants them to pose the $100 question: “Is it economically viable to treat?”

Miss any step and you’ll either look silly or break the budget. Get it right and Everett will smile… and then hit you with another Turf Toughie.