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Black field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus) have been observed in a pasture paddock that was recently sown to canola near Lake Bolac, in the Western district of Victoria. Agronomist, Sarah Heazlewood (Gorst Rural Supplies), says although patchy, up to 20 crickets per m2 were found. There is potential for some damage to the emerging canola. Sarah said an insecticide will be applied to control earth mites, and the effect this has on the crickets will be monitored. Researcher, Sommer Jenkins (University of Melbourne), has also reported finding black field crickets. The paddock is a cracking clay soil – which is known to favour the survival of crickets – and is located south of Ballarat, also in the Western district of Victoria. Sommer estimates seeing 5-7 crickets per m² and says the paddock will be monitored after it is sown into wheat.
Grower, Bronwyn Hunt (Merriwa Pastoral Company), has reported finding large numbers of crickets along with damaged areas of a canola crop near Kerang, in the Victorian Mallee district. Patches of the crop were found with very few plants, and many plants had large areas of the cotyledons chewed off. Although the crop was sown with insecticide-treated seed, Bronwyn suspects the large number of crickets present has meant damage has still occurred. There are currently no insecticide seed-dressings registered against field crickets in canola, however imidacloprid is registered in sorghum, maize and sunflowers. The species present is currently unknown, however they are not black field crickets.
Consultant, Matthew Sparke (Dodgshun Medlin), also reports finding field crickets in many paddocks throughout western Victoria. The paddocks are within an area from Maryborough in the North Central district, west to Penola, and north almost as far as Swan Hill in the Mallee district. Matthew says he has observed a few crickets per m², but suspects there are many more that he did not see during the day. Damage to crops in these areas will most likely depend on the availability of other food sources. Over summer we received numerous reports of crickets ‘swarming’ in high numbers around lights at night. Summer rainfall and the resultant green-bridge are believed to have facilitated the development of these large cricket populations.
Black field crickets are usually black or brown in colour and have wings, long antennae and grow up to 30 mm long. They normally hide during the day, underneath clods of dirt or in soil cracks, and then become active at night. They have a preference for pastures, emerging cereal crops, sunflowers and soybeans, but may attack any crop type. A good method of monitoring crickets is to place hessian bags or something similar on the ground overnight, then check the next morning for crickets underneath. Several other species of crickets may be encountered in crops however black field crickets are the most common.
Using insecticide-treated grain baits is a common control method for field crickets and is most effective when few alternative food sources are available. Agronomist, Adam Hancock (Elders), reports very good control of crickets in an emerging pasture using oats that were treated with maldison. The paddock is located west of Horsham, in the Wimmera district of Victoria and contained approximately 5-10 crickets per m². Adam says about half of the crickets were visibly affected by the baits just one hour after application. When using grain based baits remember to follow all label directions and ensure thorough mixing.
What is PestFacts?
PestFacts south-eastern keeps growers and advisers informed about invertebrate pests and beneficials in broadacre crops and pastures during the winter-cropping season in Victoria and southern New South Wales.
PestFacts south-eastern is run through IPMforGrains: Best Practice Insect Pest Management, a project delivered by the National Pest Information Network (cesar, DPIRD, QDAF, NSW DPI, and SARDI). This project aims to provide grain growers and advisors with information on invertebrate grain pest occurrence and equip industry with the knowledge needed to implement integrated pest management practices. This initiative is a GRDC investment and includes in-kind contributions from all project partner organisations.
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PestFacts is produced on an ʻas-needsʼ basis and relies upon pest observations and field reports from our subscribers. If you have recently observed invertebrate pests (or beneficial species) in broadacre crops, please contact us to report your observations.
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If you are a grower or agronomist in Victoria or NSW working with broadacre crops or pastures, we can assist you with identifying invertebrates found on farms at no cost. Please contact us for identification help.
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