It is through the needle-like ovipositor that the female will lay her eggs from May to July. Probing the ovipositor into the soil, she deposits up to 200 eggs, one at a time. The male remains close to his burrow even after reaching adulthood. Early this century there were cricket colonies in several counties, but today there are just two known sites in mainland Britain. Both are in West Sussex, in areas where the turf is kept short by regular mowing.
Further colonies exist in parts of Jersey.
The field cricket is hard to spot as it will dart into its burrow if disturbed. It is best to approach a singing male very slowly, freezing motionless each time its chirping stops. The field cricket's strong jaws make short work of a fly. The field cricket is sold as a pet in parts of southern Europe for its musical, if monotonous, song. The male field cricket has also been kept as a fighting animal in China, prized for its aggressive reactions to a rival.