Field Crickets are the
crickets everyone sees and hears in late Summer and Fall.
They grow up to an inch long, and are black and brown. They
have large hind legs and two cerci (spiky things coming out
of the back of their abdomens).
Female Field Crickets
also have an ovipositor.
An ovipositor is the longer spiky thing (about 3/4 inch)
coming from the abdomen between the cerci.
Field Crickets live
mostly in fields
and forest edges.
Photo by Jeff Hahn,
University of Minnesota Extension Service
Field Cricket eggs hatch in the
Spring, usually May. Young crickets are called nymphs.
Nymphs eat a lot and grow quickly. They will molt
(shed their outer skin) eight or more times as they grow up. With
each molt, the nymphs look more and more like an adult.
Young nymphs basically look like a cricket with no wings.
Field Crickets eat plant material,
especially seeds,
small fruits, and living and dead insects. If they are really hungry,
they will even eat each other!
Once Field Crickets are fully
grown (about a month and a half after they are born) they will look
for a mate. Male crickets "sing and dance" to attract females. The
"song" is made by rubbing the front wings together. Females hear the
song through tympanum (eardrums) on their front legs. Once a female
approaches a male, he will do a move back and forth in a sort of
courtship
"dance."
James H.
Robinson
After mating, female Field
Crickets look for some damp soil to lay eggs. They inject their
ovipositors, like a needle, deep into the soil. She will lay about 50
eggs at a time through her ovipositor. One female can lay over 400
eggs in her short life.
Field Crickets do not survive over
the winter. Any adult crickets or nymphs will die when cold weather
arrives. Eggs, however, overwinter.
They will survive and hatch the following Spring.
Field Crickets are most active at
night. The songs of many males can be heard on Summer and Fall
evenings. The song is usually a high trill played in threes. To hear
the sound of a male Field Cricket, click the link below.
Field Crickets have many
predators,
including birds, frogs, toads, turtles, and other insects.
Field Crickets can be both a help
and a pest
to people. They help people by eating the seeds of a lot of pesky
weeds,
which would otherwise spread. Some of those plants include Crabgrass
and Pigweed. They also eat other insect pests, such as grasshoppers
and flea beetles.
Field Crickets can be a pest when
they eat plants or seeds of plants that we want to keep around. They
can be a particular nuisance when large amounts of them damage
farmers' crops. Field Crickets also sometimes enter homes. They seek
warmth in late Fall and early Winter. Once inside, they sometimes
damage furniture, rugs, or clothing.
Many people enjoy the sounds of
crickets chirping in the evenings.
