Oak bush cricket

This and other Oak Bush Crickets were found in my car, after loading bags of pruning from our garden Holm Oak and leaving them there overnight, before disposal at the dump.

The Oak Bush-cricket is nocturnal and usually not noticed during the day. At night it becomes active and is attracted to lights and so may be found in houses, on windows and under street and other bright lights.

It is almost entirely carnivorous, feeding on smaller invertebrates. Females can often be found on tree trunks looking for suitable egg-laying sites, during late evening. The females lay their eggs in crevices in tree bark. The eggs over winter and the nymphs emerge in June of the following year becoming adult in late July or August.

This species does not have a normal song but drums on leaves with a hind foot. It is just about audible to humans at about 1 m. So that's what keeps me awake at night.