The MGS Forum
Gardening in mediterranean climates => Pests and diseases => Topic started by: Umbrian on July 01, 2013, 06:19:29 AM
-
When attending to the rampant growth on my "step-over" apples the other day I noticed that many of the leaves had been half eaten away. Shortly afterwards I disturbed a large green insect that I think was a Bush cricket of some kind. Before I could photograph it it flew into neighbouring vegetation. Continuing along the row of trees I then saw another very similair creature but this time it was a a creamy brown colour. It is not unusual to find the odd green type here bit never before have I found a light coloured one. This time I managed to get a photograph. Both insects had dark markings on the top of the head and early part of the body. My first thought was that perhaps it was the female or a juvenile but on consulting my usual refernce book (Collins guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe) I could find no reference to substantiate that idea. Although feeding on the same trees perhaps they were two different types? D albifrons is the only non green Bush-Cricket described and apparently feeds on fruit crops so perhaps this was the second one? whilst the first I think was Tettigonia viridissima
-
Are you sure the crickets are eating the leaves? When I tried to find out which species one the crickets in my garden were, I found discovered it was Pholidoptera fallax - Fischer's bush cricket), which belongs to the family Tettigoniidae. I read that crickets in this family are primarily feeding on small insects, so they may be useful in the garden.