Yesterday, I spotted this wasp vigilantly hunting through the front meadow. Thought it was the perfect time to republish my lost article on why the Mole Cricket Hunter (Larra bicolor) was introduced.
Meet the Mole Cricket Hunter (Larra bicolor). A beneficial wasp.
If you’ve ever seen a mole cricket, you’ll be glad these wasps are hunting them. Mole Crickets are UGGGGG-LLLEEEEEEE…They also chew the heck out of root systems, damaging grasses and vegetable seedlings.
This pretty wasp was introduced intentionally in Florida from Bolivia in 1988 and again in 1989 for control of Scapteriscus mole crickets, which are also introduced from South America. They are solitary wasps and do not build communal nests. Although they can sting, they have no real interest in attacking people so put away your DEET.
Often when exotic insects are brought in for biocontrol of exotic pests, there is an uncomfortable feeling that they may eventually cause a different set of problems of their own making. Luckily in the 25 years or so since introduction, this species has proved to only target the pest it was intended to control.
Larra bicolor adults are specialist parasitoids of Scapteriscus mole crickets and will not successfully attack the native mole cricket, Neocurtilla hexadactyla. Therefore, only the target pest species are affected by the presence of the wasp.”
The Larra wasp’s lifecycle is pretty typical of a parasitoid. The wasp locates its prey, often chasing it out of the “gallery” which is a horizontal tunnel that mounds up and runs along the ground. It has the look of molehills, which is probably why the Mole Cricket was given its common name.