| Key takeaways |
|---|
| • Bifenthrin and fipronil work fastest; treat in June and July when nymphs are small. • Bermudagrass and bahiagrass are hit hardest. • Mole crickets don't bite or sting, but they wreck lawns. |
How to get rid of mole crickets: apply bifenthrin or fipronil in June or July when nymphs are small. Prefer natural control? Beneficial nematodes work on moist soil in the evening. Either way, time it right or you’ll be doing it twice.
Don’t underestimate the damage they can cause. “Mole crickets have become the most destructive insect pest on turf and lawns in Gulf Coast states,” according to Alabama Extension. Damage and replacement costs run into the millions every year, and they can shred patches of Bermudagrass and bahiagrass in just a few weeks.
Damage from heavy infestations doesn’t always bounce back on its own. Lawn Love can connect you with local lawn care professionals who can help your lawn recover.
How to get rid of mole crickets
Timing is everything when treating mole crickets. Clemson University recommends treating in June and July, when the crickets are still small, and turf damage is minor. Why that window? Mole crickets mate and lay eggs February through June, with nymphs hatching mid-spring. By late summer, the nymphs are full-grown and much harder to kill.
Chemical mole cricket killers (most effective)
Choose an insecticide product with one of these active ingredients:
- Bifenthrin (e.g., Talstar): a fast-acting contact killer that works on nymphs near the surface. Comes as a liquid or granules. Apply to moist soil and water it in after
- Fipronil: a broad-spectrum contact insecticide that kills both nymphs and adults. Sold as granules
- Imidacloprid: a systemic insecticide that gets absorbed into the turf. Slower than contact products but still effective on young nymphs
Apply granules or spray to moist soil in the evening, when mole crickets come up to feed.
Mole cricket bait is another chemical option. Bait granules are laced with insecticide that crickets eat while foraging at night. Scatter them at dusk and skip watering for a few days so the bait doesn’t wash away. Reapply after rain.
Organic mole cricket control
If you’d rather skip chemical insecticides, a few natural options are available:
- Beneficial nematodes: These microscopic worms hunt down mole cricket nymphs in warm, moist soil. Apply right after rain or watering, in the morning or evening, since UV rays kill nematodes. They start killing crickets within 24 to 48 hours.
- Neem oil: Mix neem oil with water and spray on areas with cricket activity. It interferes with feeding and reproduction and is safe for people, pets, and pollinators.
- Soapy water flush: Mix 2 tablespoons of dish soap per gallon of water and pour onto active spots in the evening. Crickets will surface, and you can pick them off. This works best as a way to confirm activity, not a full treatment.
Pro tip: Neem oil works best as a backup to other treatments or for small infestations. It won’t wipe out a heavy mole cricket population on its own.
Professional pest control
For big infestations or repeat problems, call a licensed pro. Pest control companies know the right products, the right concentrations, and the right timing for your region. That regional know-how is often the difference between a clean kill and a wasted treatment season.
Read more: How to Use Beneficial Nematodes for Pest Control
Signs of mole crickets in your lawn
Before you treat, make sure it’s mole crickets and not moles. The damage looks similar, but the treatments are completely different.
“They misidentify and perform wrong treatments, causing a delay in solving the problem,” says Daniel Banting, technician at Native Pest Management in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Mole crickets are nocturnal and live underground, so damage often shows up before you ever see one. Watch for these signs:
- Raised tunnels and mounds: spongy, raised ridges or small piles of loose soil pushed up as they burrow
- Brown or dead patches: irregular dead spots that won’t recover with watering, because the roots underneath have been cut
- Uprooted seedlings: especially in newly seeded areas
- Low chirping at dusk: males chirp for about an hour after sunset during mating season
Try the soapy water test to confirm. Mix 2 tablespoons of dish soap per gallon of water and pour over a 1-square-foot area. If mole crickets surface within a few minutes, you have an active infestation.
Pro tip: Mole crickets love areas with heavy thatch and lawns near trees, decks, and patios. Thatch gives overwintering adults a warm place to hide.
Read more: When is the Best Time to Repair Your Lawn?
How to prevent mole crickets
Three things attract mole crickets: warm-season grasses, thick thatch, and moist soil. That covers most Southeast lawns.
- Reduce thatch. Thick thatch shelters overwintering adults. Dethatching in the fall takes that shelter away and helps your turf
- Listen in late spring. Low chirping about an hour after sunset means males are calling. Catch them early, and you can treat during the effective June and July window
- Encourage natural predators. Birds, ground beetles, bats, and lizards all eat mole crickets. A bird-friendly yard has a built-in advantage
- Plant pentas around your lawn. White-flowered pentas attract Larra bicolor wasps, which UF/IFAS introduced to Florida specifically to hunt mole crickets. The wasps don’t sting people and will forage up to 200 yards from a nectar source
Lawns that have had mole crickets once tend to get them again. The same conditions that drew them in the first time will pull them right back. Prevention works far better than treatment, especially for lawns with a history.
FAQs
No. Mole crickets are harmless to people and pets, according to the University of Florida IFAS. No venom, no sting. Grab one and it might bite, but the bite is a mild pinch — no allergic reactions, no serious risk. Your lawn is the only victim.
The damage can look the same, but the tunnels don’t. Mole cricket tunnels are narrow (about half an inch
wide), shallow, and irregular. Mole tunnels are wider, more defined, with clearly pushed-up soil. Still not sure? Pour the soapy water flush over the suspected area. Mole crickets will surface within minutes. Moles won’t.
Yes. Adult mole crickets fly toward outdoor lights at night, then burrow into the moist soil nearby to mate and lay eggs, according to UF/IFAS. New infestations often start around porch lights, streetlights, or landscape lighting. If damage starts showing up near a light source, that’s likely the entry point.
Yes. Adult mole crickets fly during mating season in spring and early summer. That’s how they spread to new lawns, often turning up in yards that have never had a mole cricket problem before.
Hire a local lawn care pro
Mole crickets leave damage behind — bare patches, weakened roots, thinning turf. Getting your lawn healthy again often takes aeration, overseeding, or reseeding. Lawn Love can connect you with local lawn care professionals who handle that kind of repair. Free instant quote, vetted local pro, done.
Main Image: A mole cricket (Gryllotalpa sp.) crawls across mossy soil. Photo Credit: antasfoto / Adobe Stock
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