Golf Maintenance
The golf course is in good condition with the potential for more rain on Sunday.
You may have seen the trucks out early Thursday morning. They were making a preventative application to control mole crickets, fire ants, and white grubs.
Our primary goal is control of Mole Crickets as they can do significant damage to the golf course very quickly if untreated. Secondarily, while we are treating for Mole Crickets, it is an opportune time to deal with Grubs and Ants at the same time. Treating these pests preventatively reduces damage but also the amount of chemicals we would have to apply if we treated them in a post emergent fashion.
Below is some information on Mole Crickets and a link to an article that covers most common insect pests in Florida including Grubs & Fire Ants… just incase you want to take a deeper look into what pests are trying to eat our turf.
Mole Crickets
WHAT ARE MOLE CRICKETS?
Mole crickets are a unique and unusual family of crickets that spend most of their life underground and have modified “hands” (front legs) that help them tunnel through the soil (Hence, the name mole cricket). These insects are common turfgrass pests throughout Florida and the southeastern U.S. Several species occur around the world and cause damage to multiple crop species.
In Florida, three species of mole crickets are considered pests: the tawny(Neoscapteriscus vicinus), southern (Neoscapteriscus borellii), and short-winged(Neoscapteriscus abbreviatus) mole crickets. There is also one native species, the northern (Neocurtilla hexadactyla) mole cricket that is found throughout the eastern U.S., although this species is not considered a pest.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Mole crickets tunnel through the soil, often close to the soil surface, severing grass roots and causing the earth to bulge upwards. They also eat the roots and shoots of plants where they are tunneling, most commonly grasses. Mole cricket tunneling and feeding damage looks like ugly brown patches of dying or dead grass, which are typically replaced by weeds. Predators such as raccoons, armadillos, and birds may further dig up the turf to snack on the crickets, which creates even more of a mess.
Sod farms, home lawns, golf courses, and pastures all frequently host mole crickets. Any species of turfgrass can be damaged by mole crickets, but they particularly like bahiagrass and bermudagrass.
WHEN ARE THEY ACTIVE?
Mole crickets are active year-around in Florida, but do the most damage during spring (March through June) or fall (late August to early October) when they are mostly adults. Mole crickets have one generation per year, with eggs typically being laid in April and May. Not only can mole crickets tunnel through the soil, but the adults can also fly long distances. In fact, an adult male mole cricket will sit at the entrance to his tunnel and call for adult females, who fly in to find him. Mole crickets are nocturnal, which means they are actively calling, tunneling, and flying at night.
HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE MOLE CRICKETS?
An easy way to determine whether there are mole crickets in your yard is to mix 1.5 fluid ounces of liquid dishwashing soap into 2 gallons of water and pour the mixture over 4 square feet of turf. If there are live mole crickets tunneling in the soil within that area, they will crawl to the surface to get some fresh air in under three minutes. If two to four mole crickets appear within three minutes of application, corrective action is justified.
OPTIONS, PLEASE?
For many years, pesticides have been used to combat these winged, tunneling pests, but over the past 35 years, University of Florida researchers have been investigating and developing alternative methods of control. While liquid and granular insecticides do remain a viable option for many golf courses, the options are often limited in residential lawns or pastures.
White Grubs
