Sound Traps for Sampling Mole Cricket Flights (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae: Scapteriscus)

Abstract

Mole crickets (Scapteriscus acletus and S. vicinus) end their flights at conspecific calling songs. Routine monitoring of mole cricket flights was accomplished using timer-operated electronic sound synthesizers over 1.5 m diameter catching devices. Standard trapping stations, consisting of one acletus trap and one vicinus trap, have been operated nightly at various sites in Florida for up to 3 years. The record catch, thus far, of acletus at one station for one night is 3,297; for one year, 27,069. Corresponding values for vicinus are 1,216 and 2,959.