Mole crickets
Gryllotalpidae · Gryllotalpa and related mole crickets
Broad digging forelegs identify the insect; fresh tunnelling shows whether turf is affected.
Photo: Donald Hobern · CC BY 2.0. Resized from the original; no other edits.
What to look for
- Look for a brown insect with a stout forebody and broad, spined front legs adapted for digging. Many Australian mole crickets are roughly 3–4 cm long.
- Inspect raised surface trails or shallow tunnels beside recent thinning. Compare roots and soil moisture with a healthy area.
- Dusk calling or an insect near a light is an identification clue. Establish whether there is fresh turf disruption at the same location.
Confirm it before you treat it
Australian mole crickets include several species with different habits. Some can injure turf through tunnelling or root feeding, while others may be present without important damage. The Queensland photographs are identified only as Gryllotalpa sp. Check the insect, fresh tunnels and root condition together; do not assume a brown patch is caused by every cricket you find.
What to do next
- Photograph the insect from above and the side, including its front legs and a size reference. Record the location and grass variety.
- Map fresh tunnels and compare the root zone, moisture and turf attachment at affected and healthy edges. Recheck to see whether disruption is continuing.
- Match any management to confirmed turf impact and species advice. Review recovery conditions and discuss a labelled treatment or professional plan with Turfmate when damage is established.
Where and when to check.
The Australian Museum describes greatest activity in summer and a preference for well-watered vegetated areas. Rain, irrigation and warm evenings are useful times to listen and inspect, rather than reasons to apply a product.
Across Australia, use December–February as a summer watch prompt where mole crickets occur, with checks outside those months when local activity warrants them. Perth and other south-western urban areas have documented Gryllotalpa populations; WA Museum information also distinguishes them from sandgropers and cautions that presence can exceed actual damage. Northern sites and local species may follow different patterns. Months here guide observation, not a universal egg-hatch or spray schedule.
Are mole crickets and sandgropers the same thing?
They are different burrowing insect groups. The WA Museum notes that mole crickets generally have longer appendages and often adult wings; species identification can need closer examination. Send photographs instead of choosing a treatment from the common name alone.
Look closely at the digging forelegs.
The underside view makes the front legs easier to compare. Both images show a Queensland Gryllotalpa specimen; they are identification references, not a diagnosis of turf damage or a species-level control recommendation.
Photo: Donald Hobern · CC BY 2.0. Resized from the original; no other edits.
Open full image ↗
Reviewed 11 October 2026 · Turfmate. Watch months are indicative planning prompts, not measured outbreak data or a spray calendar.
Technical sources & image credits
- Australian Museum: mole cricket identification, habitat and summer activity
- WA Museum: mole cricket information sheet and sandgroper distinction
- Nuturf: tunnelling and turf-impact assessment
- Mole cricket, Gryllotalpa sp., Mission Beach, Queensland. The source identifies the genus; it does not identify a particular pest species or demonstrate turf damage.
Photo: Donald Hobern · CC BY 2.0. Resized from the original; no other edits. - Underside view of a mole cricket from Mission Beach, Queensland. Compare the broad digging forelegs; an identification photograph is not evidence of damage at your site.
Photo: Donald Hobern · CC BY 2.0. Resized from the original; no other edits.
Product links do not imply endorsement by a photographer or source. Photos support identification; confirm the insect stage and current turf damage at your site.