Pygmy mole crickets

Pygmy mole crickets (Family Tridactylidae) are common, but rarely seen insects that can occasionally cause damage on golf course greens with their tunneling behavior.

Occurring primarily in sandy areas (next to lakes an streams or in wet areas they are even more common), they live underneath the soil surface, feeding primarily on algae. Though they are not known to feed on turf foliage or roots, they can cause unsightly and bumpy conditions on greens as they kick up sand with…