Topic: Mole cricket (veenmol)

[Beer_Belly]

I've lost quite a few carrots and onions to this little bugga
Apparently it's a protected species in the UK as they're rare, if anyone knoews an organisation that'd like to import them from my plot to the uk let me know  ;)
-B_B-

[budgiebreeder]

Gosh what is it?.Never seen one of those before.Looks like half lobster half scorpion .Must Google  all about it when i have more time

             

[feet of clay]

Not pretty! Is it really about two inches long?

[eileen]

Never seen a mole cricket up close like that before  (UGH) and I don't think I'd like to see one in real life either, protected or not!!

Hope you get rid of them soon BB. I take it they're quite common where you are?

Eileen.

[Beer_Belly]

Yep they're big 2 inch buggas - they scare my missus anyway  :)

All the old timers kill them but I put them in a jar and as I cycle home I let them go about a mile from my plot.

-B_B-

[Mimi]

 :o :o  OMG that is one ugly bug.  I think that if I saw something like that munching on my carrots I would just let it get on with it, and never grow carrots again. :-\

[Margaret]

I think it looks very cute,and i would love to have a  breeding pair.

Then all the people who upset me could find they had some of these cuties too in their garden.

 ;D ;D

[eileen]

I promise NEVER to upset you Margaret!!!!  ;D ;D

Eileen.

[teresa]

Hi BB,
Do they make the same mole hills like moles? and just disturbe the ground nasty looking things  :o
teresa

[Moggle]

Looks like something out of an alien film  :-\

[Beer_Belly]

No mole hills, the only evidence is every so often there is a hole about 1cm in diameter, they obviously surface every so often.

Obviously when a few carrots or onions wilt and you pull them up and the roots are gone you also know they've neen there.

-B_B-

[kenkew]

Now then. I've been looking into this mole-cricket chappy (Gryllotalpa gryllotaipa) and very interesting it is!
Up to 50mm long. Common in North and central Europe. They live in damp areas where the soil is fairly soft. Sounds like a night jar but softer. Possibly able to fly but very rarely. Can't jump. Has strong front legs for burrowing. They can be found where their main food source is and that happens to be insect larva, so it's possibly a friend! Maybe it's chasing down the bugs that are eating your carrots?

[ina]

Very interesting (at a distance hahaha), never seen anything like it and don't wish to. Not really common in Holland is it BB?