Download Field Cricket - OSU Extension Master Gardener Metro Area

Field Cricket
Order: Orthoptera
Family: Gryllidae
Genus/Species: Gryllus spp.
Description: Field Crickets are black, often shiny, and may have some brown on the
forewings. When full grown they are about ¾ inch long. The ocelli (simple eyes) are
arranged in a triangle. The hind tibia are short, stout, fixed and at least ¾ the length of the
hind femora. Cerci (sensory appendages at the end of the body) are hairy and longer than
the head and prothorax combined. The wings do not project beyond the cerci. The antennae
are black and longer than the body. The female has a prominent ovipositor. The males chirp
by scraping special ridges along their wings’ margins.
Habitat: Field Crickets are widely distributed in fields, pastures, lawns, along roadsides and
in woods in undergrowth where there is moderate humidity and protection from wind and
cold.
Life Cycle: Field Crickets lay eggs in small groups in slightly damp soil. After the eggs
hatch, nymphs take two to three months to develop, during which time they molt about eight
or nine times. Most Field Crickets have a single generation per year.
Economic Importance and Management: Field Crickets eat a wide variety of plant materials
and only occasionally damage crops such as tomatoes and beans. May enter structures.
Chemical control is not recommended.
References: Garden Insects of North America, Whitney Cranshaw
Peterson Field Guide: Insects, Donald J. Borror & Richard E. White
How to Know the Insects, Roger J. Bland
PNW Insect Management Handbook, Craig S. Hollingsworth, Editor
Photo: OSU Ken Gray Insect Collection
6/2010
NWERC MG Curation Group
Field Cricket
Arthropod Information Sheets