When the ground breaking is held, make every effort to be in attendance. Mole Crickets Three species of these odd looking crickets, the Tawny, the Short-winged and the Southern mole cricket, are present in Florida. Only the Tawny and Southern species are destructive to pastures. These brownish crickets are covered with very fine hair and have flattened, shovel-like front legs. They usually grow to 1 inches in length.
Mole crickets make burrows resembling tiny mole tunnels in the soil.
The burrowing loosens the soil and the crickets disturb and cut off the grass roots. The tawny mole cricket is a major pest of vegetable seedlings, turf and pasture grasses. Tawny mole crickets feed largely on plant material, and only to a slight extent on insects and other animals. In the spring the adult female places 30 or more eggs in each of 3 or 4 underground cells. Eggs hatch in 1 or 2 weeks during warm weather.