mole repeller

[demi]

We had 2 mole repellers in our potato patch last summer, they seemed to work and the moles left and our potatoes were relativly uneaten. One of them got flooded with water though and broke. We've got the pest bye solar mole repellers, very cheap and not very sturdy but they seemed to work on the moles. We just ordered another 2 off amazon.
We also have a problem with mole crickets which ate some on my sweet potatoes. Do you think the mole repeller will work on mole crickets too?

[MKG]

You can find out by creeping up on a mole cricket party and then suddenly making noises like a human (stamp, dig, hoe - that kind of thing). If the crickets run away, then your mole repeller should also work on them.

If they don't, join the party.

Mike

[demi]

How would i know where they're having their party? I don't have an invite. If i start digging in the ground looking for them and they run away, how will i know they were there in the first place? We found 1 when we were digging last spring before the sweet potatoes went in. I suppose we shouldn't of planted the potatoes there after finding that one, but they only nibbled a couple of potatoes. I don't know if they're everywhere in the garden on just in that one spot. We might have them up at the orchard too although i don't think my husband's found any and he's been plowing the field with the tiller. We did have the regular moles up there though.

[diggernotdreamer]

how do you know the mole crickets were to blame for eating your sweet potatoes, did you catch them with their knives and forks, little bibs tucked into their collars, or were they eating slugs who were eating your sweet potatoes, these are rare creatures, if you don't want yours, contact Bristol Zoo, they would be really excited to look at them, think they prefer to eat meat than plant, but may eat plants if worms or other meaty stuff not available

[GeorgeSalt]

Do you think the mole repeller will work on mole crickets too?

Ahh, the confusion that common names can create..

[MKG]

Tell me about it. Every time I meet someone called Smith ...

But seriously, Demi, here's a bit I nicked from the net.

"The only sure-fire way of knowing you have a mole cricket problem is to flush them out. The best way to monitor for mole crickets is the soap flush technique. In a sprinkling can, mix two tablespoons of lemon liquid dishwashing soap in two gallons of water.

Apply this solution to a 2-foot by 2-foot area where you suspect mole crickets.

It’s best to do this late in the day and after the lawn has been recently watered. Mole crickets are not evenly distributed throughout the turf, so repeat the soap flush in several areas of your lawn.

If two to four mole crickets emerge within a few minutes, control measures are justified.

How do you get rid of mole crickets? Effective control depends on the season of the year and the life stage that the pests are in at the time. Timing of controls is as important as the choice of insecticide.

Late June or early July is considered to be the most ideal time to apply control measures. This timing is based on extensive research and knowledge of the mole cricket life cycle. Mole crickets have one generation a year.

In spring, the adults fly, mate and begin laying eggs. Most egg laying occurs between early May and mid-June.

It’s important to treat when the young mole crickets begin actively feeding in early summer. The longer you allow them to feed and grow the more difficult the task of managing them.

Adults can be very difficult to control because of their ability to tunnel. Tunneling allows the adults to avoid contact with many conventional pesticides.

There are a number of products on the market to control mole crickets. Look for products that contain bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, fipronil, imidacloprid or lambda-cyhalothrin."

Which might help a bit. Alternatively, I also discovered on the net that mole crickets are used as food. Crispy fried cricket ... Yummy. Do you think you could bring yourself to eat your problem away?

Mike

[demi]

Have you ever seen one? They are really strange looking creatures, really big crickets with their legs all compressed against their body and they have paddles on their front legs like a mole for tunneling underground. We dug one up while we were turning the soil in the spring when we were planting the sweet potatoes. Then when we dug up the potatoes some of them had been munched. So we suspect from the size bite marks that it was the mole crickets. They do eat plant roots.

http://entoplp.okstate.edu/ddd/insects/molecricket.htm