Nematomorpha, commonly known as Horsehair worms are a phylum of parasitic animals which are on average, 1 metre long, and 1 to 3 millimetres in diameter. The adult worms are free living, but the larvae are parasitic on crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers and crustaceans. In Spinochordodes tellinii, which has grasshoppers as its vector, the infection acts on the grasshopper's brain and causes it to seek water and drown itself, thus returning the nematomorph to water.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=11170099
Pretty gross
Refreshingly different. Excellent splurts at the end, and I love the knot. You can feel the pain. The pacing was good and I liked the character.
Your description definitely sets the stage -- I'm not sure how it would stand on its own. I mean it works as far as a parasite and host go, but perhaps not specifically a cricket. Perhaps it doesn't need to.
I really like the idea of getting inspiration from science/nature. The whole idea of being driven to water to drown the host and keep the cycle going is diabolical.