Besides birds , toads and insectivorous mammals , the predators of mole crickets include subterranean assassin bugs , wolf spiders , and various beetles . The South American nematode Steinernema scapterisci kill Neocapteriscus mole crickets by introducing bacteria into their bodies , causing an overwhelming infection . Steinernema neocurtillae is native to Florida and attacks native Neocurtilla hexadactyla mole crickets . Parasitoid wasps of the genus Larra ( Hymenoptera : Crabronidae ) attack mole crickets , the female laying an egg on the external surface of the mole cricket , and the larva developing externally on the mole cricket host . Ormia depleta ( Diptera : Tachinidae ) is a specialized parasitoid of mole crickets in the genus Neoscapteriscus ; the fly 's larvae hatch from eggs inside her abdomen ; she is attracted by the call of the male mole cricket and deposit a larva or more on any mole cricket individual with which she come in contact . Specialist predators of mole cricket eggs in China and Japan include the bombardier beetle Stenaptinus jessoensis whereas in South America they include the bombardier beetle Pheropsophus aequinoctialis ( Coleoptera : Carabidae ) ; the adult beetle lay eggs near the burrows of mole crickets , and the beetle larvae find their way to the egg chamber and eat the eggs . Fungal diseases can devastate mole cricket populations during winters with sudden rises of temperature and thaws . The fungus Beauveria bassiana can overwhelm adult mole crickets and several other fungal , microsporidian and viral pathogens have been identified . Mole crickets evade predators by living below ground , and vigorously burrowing if disturbed at the surface . As a last @-@ ditch defence , they eject a foul @-@ smelling brown liquid from their anal glands when captured ; they can also bite .