**Tree Crickets** (Genus *Oecanthus*) are a group of delicate, pale-green or white crickets known for their high-pitched, musical chirping. The conflict is minor and seasonal: while the singing of the males is often considered pleasant, the female causes damage to small twigs and canes by **drilling small holes (oviposition) to lay eggs**. This drilling can weaken the cane, causing the tip of the twig to **break or die back** (flagging) on host plants like raspberry, grape, and rose.
Taxonomy and Classification
Tree Crickets belong to the order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids). They undergo simple metamorphosis. They are highly unique in that the **Snowy Tree Cricket** (*O. fultoni*) has chirping that correlates with temperature, known as **Dolbear’s Law**.
Physical Description
Adult Crickets are medium-sized, 1/2 to 1 inch long.
- **Appearance (Key ID):** Slender, pale-green or white body with delicate, transparent wings. They are much thinner and more fragile than ground-dwelling field crickets.
- **Behavior (Key ID):** Primarily nocturnal. The males produce a loud, continuous, often rhythmic trill or chirp by rubbing their wings together.
- **Damage Sign (Key ID):**
- **Drill Marks:** A row of small, close-set puncture holes (oviposition scars) encircling a thin twig or cane.
- **Flagging:** The tip of the branch beyond the drill marks dying and breaking off.
- **Conflict:** Minor cane/twig damage and aesthetic foliage feeding.
Distribution and Habitat
Tree Crickets are found globally. Their habitat is the dense, protective foliage of shrubs, small trees, and tall weeds, where they live and feed.
Behavior and Conflict
The conflict is seasonal and minor.
- **Egg Laying:** Damage occurs in late summer and fall when the females lay their eggs in the tender, second-year growth of fruit canes.
- **Beneficial Status:** The crickets are partially beneficial, feeding on some pest aphids, scale insects, and soft-bodied caterpillars.
Management and Prevention
Control is focused on cultural practices and physical removal of damaged wood.
- **Remove Damaged Canes:** During the winter or early spring dormant season, prune out and destroy the canes that show the characteristic row of puncture marks before the eggs hatch.
- Maintain healthy plants so they can easily tolerate the minor damage.
- Keep weed growth down, as it can harbor high populations of crickets.
- Insecticides are usually unnecessary, as the damage is minor, and sprays would harm beneficial insects.
Conservation and Research
Tree Crickets are conserved for their ecological role and their importance as a model organism in bioacoustics (the study of their temperature-dependent chirping).