Common cricket infestations cause untold damage to lawns, sports fields, and crops in South Africa. They also destroy golf courses. The best way to get rid of destructive crickets is using pest control professionals.

The damage stems from deep within the root system. All types of crickets look for their food source by burrowing tunnels that destroy grass and crop roots. Learn more about how they operate and how to get rid of them below.

Many people like to try DIY methods, such as sticky traps to get rid of crickets, but cricket traps alone aren’t effective at stopping an infestation. It is important to consider the type of cricket you’re dealing with, too.

Types of Crickets in South Africa

In South Africa, we have camel crickets, house crickets, field crickets, spider crickets, cave crickets, mole crickets, king crickets, tree crickets, and Jerusalem crickets. Many of these common species of crickets are considered pests and destroy gardens and fields.

One of the most concerning cricket species in the cricket population is the mole cricket. Mole Crickets can create massive tunnels of up to a metre long beneath the soil surface. This is where feeding takes place. Mole cricket damage is cause for alarm.

What is a Mole Cricket, and What Does it Look Like?

A Mole Cricket is a little larger than the average household cricket. Adult Mole Crickets can reach up to 50mm. Mole Crickets are light brown.

They don’t have elongated hind legs. Unlike the average cricket. They have short frontal wings, and larger back wings adapted to flying. Their back wings have spiked tips at the end.

Male crickets create the annoying, incessant sounds. They do this by rubbing files together which are on the front wings.

Why Do Mole Crickets Cause Damage to Crops and Fields?

• Waterlogged lawns and fields attract mole crickets because thrive in moist environments.
• You will find cricket eggs in underground tunnels. Annoying crickets dig underground tunnels for this purpose and cause untold damage.
• Mole crickets prefer moisture-rich soils to dry ground. It is common to find them in swampy conditions and irrigated land. 
• They are pests. Although they are not a dangerous pest, they do cause extensive damage.

What Are the Signs of Mole Crickets?

Crickets push the ground into small ridges. This increases evaporation on the surface. It also disturbs the germinations and roots of seedlings. These include flower seedlings, grass seeds, and turf.

They also destroy the roots and seedlings of vegetable plants. Natural cricket predators keep them in check in indigenous areas.

Cricket infestations occur when introduced to non-indigenous areas. They become problematic and out of control. This happens when introduced into areas out of their natural habitat.

What Are the Natural Predators of Mole Crickets?

Natural predators keep Mole Crickets in check. But we cannot rely on these to keep many crickets under control. Cricket predators include a wide range of beetle species, parasitic wasps, spiders, birds, frogs, toads, and insectivorous mammals.

Bug sprays and baits at garden centres are ineffective methods to get rid of crickets. Neither will DIY preventative treatment help.

The best approaches to mole cricket infestations include professional treatments. Mostert professional pest control services will assist with your cricket problem. We will put in place an effective maintenance plan.

How to Get Rid of Mole Crickets

We often find mole crickets and earthworms in the same location. Infestations cause the earth to become spongy underfoot. This usually shows that there a cricket infestation.

Infested areas cause grass or turf to lose density. The reason is crickets destroy the root system. The result is lawns and crops dying.

Uncontrollable infestations destroy vast areas. Dogs often dig up lawns to find chirping crickets, as the sound can irritate humans and dogs.

6 Smart Moves to Prevent and Get Rid of Crickets

There are a couple of hacks you can apply to minimise cricket infestations.

• Do away with moist soil and moist areas. Ensure water puddles and pools don’t gather around outside.
• Mow lawns regularly and weed flower beds.
• Rake leaves and remove wood piles to keep crickets in check.
• Bright lights attract crickets. Remove bright outdoor lights. Instead, replace the globes with yellow globes and sodium vapour lamps.
• Contact Mostert Pest Control specialists to help get rid of crickets. We will use microencapsulated products and powders to curb cricket infestations.
• Wettable powders are an effective means of getting rid of crickets. Place these in any hiding places such as cracks and crevices.

Get Rid of Cricket Infestations Before It’s Too Late! 

Crickets are destructive insects. The minute you suspect you have a cricket invasion, call in our team of professionals. We will nip the problem in the bud. Left unattended, you could face enormous costs. Replacing crops, turf, and lawn is time-consuming and expensive.

Mostert Pest Control Specialists have a solution for all your pest challenges. Wherever possible, we use environmentally friendly methods to get rid of bugs. Talk to us today about a solution for you!

What’s the Best Way to Get Rid of Bed bug Infestations?

Bedbugs are tenacious and unwelcome guests in your home. Once you have an infestation, it is difficult to get rid of them. A bedbug infestation is difficult to detect.

Once they find a food source, you will find them everywhere. Even in your bed frames and bedside tables. You will also find they nest in electrical outlets.

DIY heat treatments like hot water and pesticides are not effective in eradicating these stubborn insects. It is far better to call in pest control experts. The only way to rid your world of nasty bedbugs forever is using a pest control professional service.

How Will I Know for Certain I Have an Infestation?

The first signs are bloodstains on your sheets. There will also be signs of bedbug excrement. You will detect unpleasant, itchy bites. Some individuals have an allergic reaction to the bites of bedbugs.

A reaction to bedbug bites could leave itchy welts on your skin. If you have a severe reaction, it could cause clinical consequences. Are you concerned you have any skin reactions from insect bites? Seek medical treatment.

You will find plenty of evidence. These include bed bug bite marks, smells, and human blood on sheets. Your doctor will recommend an ice application for rashes. Your medical professional could also suggest you take anti-inflammatory medications. Antiseptic creams will help with a series of bites or with a resulting typical skin lesion.

Physical Appearance of Bedbugs. What Do They Look Like?

How will I know for certain I have a growing bedbug population in my house? What do they look like? How will I know there’s a prevalence of bedbugs in my home or apartment?

• These insects belong to the genus Cimex. Cimex Hemipterus and other forms feed on the blood of people at night.
• The preferred host of these insects is the human body.
• Bedbugs are tiny insects. Adult bedbugs are about 6.44 mm long. They are about the size of an apple seed.
• Their bodies are oval, and they have a distinctive flat body. They look a bit like oval confetti.
• The insects are a reddish brown in colour. Once they have had a blood meal, their bodies swell. Their appearance is then redder than brown.
• Bedbugs do not fly. Instead, they scurry over ceiling and floor surfaces at lightning speed.
• The adult female can lay hundreds of eggs during her life cycle. Each one is miniscule – almost as small as the head of a pin.
• We refer to the undeveloped eggs as nymphs. Nymphs shed their skin many times before they become adults. After each shed, the bugs need a blood feed.
• It takes 10 days to a month for nymphs to reach maturity.
• The female bedbug produces up to 3 generations in a year. Their exponential multiplication makes it hard to get rid of them.

Are Bedbugs Hard to Get Rid of? 

Yes, these critters can be tenacious and difficult to get rid of. Nobody enjoys bed bug bites, and it can be hard to find bedbug hiding spots. Pest control companies have methods for the eradication of tenacious creatures.

You can find these insects hiding in cracks and crevices. Bedbugs are nocturnal. They appear at night to feed on human hosts, usually when hosts are fast asleep. Some people mistake their bites for a mosquito bite.

Do I Have a Bedbug Problem?

• The appearance of the common species is obvious by bite marks on the skin. Smears of faeces on bedding and mattresses are other indications of insect activity.
• An unpleasant and marked odour is present, not unlike coriander. This is another clear sign of insect activity.
• The insects have a tendency to spread throughout rooms. In apartment complexes, they could spread from one apartment to the next.
• You can find infestations in clean and dirty environments. These bugs are not particular about their surroundings.

Our professional team at Mostert Pest Control services is here to offer you advice. Our bedbug treatment programmes are effective. Only once we have eliminated the insects entirely, it is best not to replace your mattress.

We Offer an Efficient Search and Destroy Operation in Getting Rid of Bedbugs

Call Mostert Pest Control service to help with effective control tactics. A sudden insect infestation could prove unpleasant and problematic. Get your free quote today and get rid of your bug problem.

Instead of fumigating and home treatments, choose a more effective operation against bedbugs. The minute you detect a presentation of common bedbug challenges, contact us. Mostert Pest Control services will apply effective eradication methods.