Loving

A male field cricket singing calling song at the entrance to his burrow to attract a mate, June 2010.

In lots of animals, males guard females after mating to prevent them from mating to rival males. In our crickets, males guard females but do not manipulate them. Females are given priority access to the burrow, even when a predator attacks, May 2011.

Field crickets mating at the entrance to their burrow, June 2012.

Females often lay their eggs just at the entrance of their burrow or just inside it, frequently straight after mating whilst being guarded by their male partners. This may explain why guarding males have more offspring by their mates, May 2011.