Mole Crickets - Why Are They Such a Big Deal in Florida?

Mole crickets are a big deal in Florida because they can cause extensive damage to your lawn. These lawn insects dig through the soil and feed on the roots of your grass, causing brown patches. Mole crickets are most active during spring and fall when they're adults. To protect your turf from these highly destructive pests, you should schedule preventative treatments from lawn care professionals. They will apply these treatments multiple times throughout the year to provide consistent, overlapping coverage and ensure they don't cause problems in the first place.

What are mole crickets, and what damage can they cause to your lawn?

Mole crickets are part of the cricket family that mostly stay underground and have more mole-like front legs to assist with digging, hence the name. Three species found in Florida cause the most problems, including the tawny, short-winged, and southern mole crickets; there's also the northern mole cricket, though it doesn't typically damage lawns.

Mole crickets cause extensive harm to lawns. For one, as they dig through the soil, they sever the roots of your grass and feed on them as they do, plus create tiny mounds on the surface. As a result, your turf becomes untethered to the ground, weakening it and causing brown patches of grass.

When are mole crickets most active?

While mole crickets are active throughout the year here in Florida, they cause the most problems in the spring and fall when many are adults. Additionally, the warmer temperatures spur mole cricket activity. Adults lay eggs around mid-to-late spring and reach adulthood themselves by the fall. Then, they overwinter and become active again the following spring, producing one generation a year.

Schedule Preventative Treatments From Professionals to Protect Your Lawn From Mole Crickets

If you want to protect your lawn from mole cricket damage, you'll want to take preventative measures. To do this, you should schedule preventative treatments from lawn care professionals. These insects are highly destructive, and the best way to prevent them from causing problems in the first place is with these treatments. When you do, pros will visit your property to administer them several times throughout the year to provide consistent, overlapping coverage. You can also rest assured that they use products proven to work against mole crickets, meaning you won't have to worry about them wreaking havoc on your lawn.

Call us today to sign up for our lawn insect control service!

Are you worried about mole crickets causing problems for your lawn? If so, we're here to help. At FertiGator Lawn Care, we offer a professional lawn insect control service to residential properties in The Villages, Lady Lake, Wildwood, and other nearby communities in Florida. We use top-notch products to combat various lawn insects, including mole crickets. We'll apply preventative treatments several times throughout the year as part of our lawn care program, which also comes with fertilization and weed control, to keep these destructive pests from causing problems in the first place. But wait, that's not all - we also have a mole cricket insurance plan with extra supplemental treatments for optimal protection! With this plan, we guarantee that you won't have any issues with mole crickets, or we'll return to eliminate them and help your turf recover from damage. With us, you can rest easy knowing your lawn is safeguarded from these pesky insects year-round. Call us today at (352) 314-2867 to sign up for our lawn insect control service.