Crickets

Te Ao Hou, December 1962, Page 59

Crickets The main effect of the cricket is felt in the Auckland province particularly about Hauraki Plains and the North Auckland Peninsula where soils and climate are ideal for this pest. When seasons are favourable the cricket population can build up to immense hordes which cause widespread damage to pastures. It usually occurs around dry autumns when pastures plants have little power of recovery and it continues until the cooler weather when again the plants lack the vigour required to repair damage. From February onward the light coloured cigar-shaped eggs about a tenth of an inch long are deposited by the female into the turf or just below the soil surface. Some eggs hatch in the following few weeks if conditions are satisfactory but generally it does not begin until October. A nymph emerges from the egg which is similar to an adult but is wingless and very small. It begins to feed immediately and as it feeds passes through a succession of moults until it becomes a winged adult. It is usually near the adult stage before damage is noticed. The cricket is a surface feeder. It lives on rye grass as the most favoured pasture and although cocksfoot is readily eaten by the cricket, it has strong powers of recovery from damage. Clovers are much less attractive and are usually left until

other species are eliminated. As this damage is always associated with dry weather and as the crickets will also consume any seed which has fallen, there is little hope of recovery of the pasture. Dieldrin applied as a dust in dieldrin superphosphate at 2 cwt to the acre kills crickets quickly and effectively. In this form 6 ozs. of dieldrin is used per acre. Dusting with D.D.T. is not effective. Early February is the most effective time to treat affected pastures as if they are treated too early in December or January a second crop of crickets may infest the area. But on the other hand treatment should not be delayed until pasture damage is severe.