Hobbies And Interests
Time Frame
Mating season for field crickets lasts from late summer to early autumn. Cold temperatures of autumn mark the end of the season. In some species, such as Gryllus campestrius of England, the crickets are not winged and only hop or crawl. In the United Kingdom, mating season for crickets can begin as early as July. In North America, it usually begins in August.
Identification
Female field crickets have an organ the males lack called an ovipositor. It sticks out about three-quarters of an inch long behind the female. This tube is used to help her lay eggs. After mating, she pokes the ovipositor into soil, rotting wood or moist sand. She lays from one to 50 eggs, depending on her species and moves on to another place.
Attraction
Male field crickets attract the attention of female field crickets by chirping. They do not have vocal chords. They make the chirp, or song, by rubbing their wings together. One wing has a structure similar to a toothed comb called a harp. The other wing has a ridge called a file that is used to run over the teeth of the other wing, making the distinctive chirp. A female selects a male on the basis of this song. When a female is near, the male makes a different, quieter chirp.
Fun Facts
Male field crickets in England clear a place for them to perform before they start to chirp. In North America, male crickets perform a type of swaying dance when they see a female cricket crawling over to them. Female crickets hear through their knees.