Adoption by Northland farmers of a pest management package to control black field cricket,Teleogryllus commodus(Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

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Abstract
The basis for a procedure to control the black field cricket has been developed from research carried out over the last 5 years. This pest management package has been extensively promoted in Northland in the 1983 season with an exceptionally high adoption rate, especially by dairy farmers. More than 950 tonnes of cricket bait was applied over approximately 76 000 ha of pasture in Northland during the summer of 1983. This was 10-fold increase compared with previous dry years when cricket numbers were also high. High cricket numbers, in combination with the simple ‘flushing technique’ for estimating cricket density, were considered by farmers to be the most compelling reasons for applying cricket bait. The benefits to farmers of controlling the high cricket populations present in 1983 include the maintenance of quality pasture species and increased pasture responses which are estimated to be worth several million dollars in increased animal production. These procedures to control black field crickets should become a standard management practice.

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