Japanese Burrowing Cricket

Velarifictorus micado · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Gryllidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Japanese Burrowing Cricket
Photo: Zinogre, CC BY-SA

The Japanese burrowing cricket lives in southern Asia and has an introduced population across the eastern United States. It is considered passive and does not cause damage to homes or belongings.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Found in southern Asia and now widespread in the eastern half of the United States.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Native to southern Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Connecticut, Ohio.

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

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Japanese Burrowing Cricket photo 3
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY-SA
Japanese Burrowing Cricket photo 4
Photo: John P Friel, CC BY
Japanese Burrowing Cricket photo 5
Photo: Benny Albro, CC BY
Japanese Burrowing Cricket photo 6
Photo: GobyHunter, CC BY

Questions people ask

Is this cricket a problem inside the home?

It is considered passive and does not cause damage to the house or belongings.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Gryllidae)

Fall Field CricketFall Field CricketGryllus pennsylvanicusCan damage your homeTropical House CricketTropical House CricketGryllodes sigillatusNuisance, not dangerousHouse CricketHouse CricketAcheta domesticusCan damage your homeEuropean Field CricketEuropean Field CricketGryllus campestrisNarrow-winged Tree CricketNarrow-winged Tree CricketOecanthus niveusSouthern Field CricketSouthern Field CricketGryllus bimaculatus

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velarifictorus_micado

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.