summer, adults are scarce and nymphs are common, suggesting that mating and egg-laying take place shortly after the rains begin. Song The song is made up of between four and seven (most commonly four or five) successive pulse chirps. Males tend to aggregate and chirp on such a way that they are silent when their neighbours are calling. Males that sing in an alternating fashion like this call at a rate that is 30-60% slower than the rate that lone males call at. Lone males too start calling in an alternating fashion when exposed to the calls of other males. Alternate calling is only observed during sunset. Calls may overlap if they are made during the day. Burrows Both nymphs and adults dig deep burrows to hide in during the day. At night, they emerge to feed on grass, and possibly other plants. The crickets crop grasses and store the clippings near the entrances of their burrows. They also pile them on top of the entrances. These burrows typically have two entrances, allowing the insects to escape should a predator approach. Predation Sun spiders have been seen entering burrows in search of crickets. Other spiders presumably exhibit similar behaviour as a wasp has been found in a chamber with several spiders off a brown cricket burrow. At least two kinds of pompilid wasp are known to enter these burrows. Relationship with humans The brown cricket is considered to be a pest, especially on fields and sports grounds and around young seedlings. At high densities, they can form large expanses of dead lawn. They are particularly considered to be a problematic species around cricket pitches, where they destroy the carefully maintained lawn. A study in Zimbabwe found that malathion sprays and baits could be used to control the population in such areas through causing mass mortality. References Insects described in 1869 Insects of Africa Insects of South Africa Insects of Mozambique Insects of Zimbabwe Gryllinae