Bug FAQEuropean Mole Cricket
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Gryllotalpidae
Also called: Mole Cricket
Source: Wikipedia
The European mole cricket is a dark brown insect with a silky sheen, yellow underside and fine velvety hairs; males have an open-vein area on the forewing while females lack an external ovipositor. It lives in damp, rich soils such as flood-plains, reservoir edges, irrigated fields and gardens across much of the Western Palaearctic, where it feeds on roots, tubers, rhizomes and many soil invertebrates and can become a serious pest of many crops.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have an open-vein area called the ‘harp’ on the forewing, while females lack the external ovipositor found in other crickets.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males are about 50 mm long and females about 70 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
They also damage nurseries, killing young plants and harming the roots of vines, fruit trees and other trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Control methods may include deep autumn plowing, soil treatments between crop rows, winter trapping, pesticides, poison baits and soil fumigation.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It is omnivorous, feeding on roots, tubers, rhizomes and a variety of soil invertebrates. It also feeds on many crops and disturbs soil with its burrowing activities.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Nymphs moult six times and need one to three years to reach adulthood.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The insects produce their characteristic sounds on warm, mild evenings in early spring.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The family Gryllotalpidae contains several similar species. G. gryllotalpa is a species group with cryptic species that are best distinguished by their song patterns.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I control European mole crickets?
Use deep autumn plowing, treat the soil between rows, set winter traps, apply pesticides or poison baits, and consider soil fumigation.
Source: Wikipedia
What damage do they cause?
They damage cereals, legumes, grasses, potatoes, many vegetable crops, beet, sunflower, tobacco, hemp, flax, strawberry, and the roots of vines, fruit trees and other trees.
Source: Wikipedia
When are they most active?
They typically produce sounds on warm, mild evenings in early spring.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell males from females?
Males have an open-vein area called the ‘harp’ on the forewing, while females lack the external ovipositor seen in other crickets.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gryllotalpidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gryllotalpa_gryllotalpa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.