The snowy tree cricket (
Oecanthus Fultoni) is a native of the northeastern
US. Tree crickets are similar in appearance to the many species of field
cricket, but having more narrow bodies and smaller heads. Tree crickets are green or green-yellow in color. Where field crickets can occasionally damage fruit crops when in great concentrations, the tree cricket is not considered a broad
agricultural nuisance. Tree crickets, however, can cause egg laying damage to fruit trees and cane berries. A female tree cricket will use her
ovipositor to insert eggs into branches and canes which makes them susceptible to breakage. While the tree cricket is not a direct
vector for any
pathogens, the plant may be attacked by
fungi through these wounds. This rarely is a problem to warrant the use of
pesticides or
biological control.
Nymphs hatch, looking like wingless immature versions of the adults after overwintering, and do not consume the stem tissues of their host plants as do larval borers or stem chewers. Instead, they feed on foliage during the night. Feeding damage tends to be negligible. The crickets have five instar phases, molting between each phase, before the winged adult phase which emerges in late summer.
Like other cricket species, the male snowy tree cricket will produce a song to attract females. These crickets tend to only sing at night and tend to sing in unison. This particular species of cricket is remarkable for the precision of the rate at which it sings proportional to air temperature. This phenomena, which can be observed when large groups of crickets chirp in unison, can accurately and predictably calculate temperature by timing the intervals between chirps. This formula is known as Dolbear's Law:
°F = 50 + ( ( n - 40 ) / 4 ) OR °C = 10 + ( ( n - 40 ) / 7 )
For more on Dolbear's Law and the snowy tree cricket read: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~genchem/0102/spring/6winn/cricket.html