See the millions of crickets flood Idaho road as the insects descend on neighboring Nevada
Its the annual flood of flightless Mormon crickets in several Nevada and Idaho counties. They cover roads and, "make a popcorn sound" when cars drive over, according to a resident.
Cricket invasion takes over Idaho, Nevada
Millions of Mormon crickets invaded several counties in Nevada and Idaho. The flightless bugs covered this roadway. "I think I may have killed a few," wrote the photographer on social media.
SILVER CITY, Idaho – Countless Mormon crickets flooded an Idaho roadway as millions of the insects descend on counties in neighboring Nevada on June 5.
Lisa Van Horne released footage showing the crickets covering the road she drives along. She said the video was taken a few miles outside the ghost town Silver City in Owyhee County.
"I think I may have killed a few," she wrote on Facebook.
A Mormon crickets are not crickets but katydids.
(MyLoupe/UIG / Getty Images)
According to local media, six counties in Nevada have been plagued with crickets described as "flightless, ground-dwelling insects," according to the University of Nevada.
"In large numbers, their feeding can contribute to soil erosion, poor water quality, nutrient-depleted soils, and potentially cause damage to range and cropland ecosystems," the university said, explaining that the insects "are not true crickets; they are shield-backed, short-winged katydids that resemble fat grasshoppers that cannot fly."
WANT TO KNOW THE AIR TEMPERATURE? LISTEN TO CRICKETS CHIRPING
Mormon Crickets take over
FOX 13 Salt Lake City takes us to Elko, Nevada where millions of Mormon crickets have invaded.
NOT A HORROR FILM: WHEN INSECTS TURN INTO ‘ZOMBIES’
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has a Mormon Cricket and Grasshopper Control Program designed to help the control and mitigate the insects.
"This program is managed by the ISDA Invasive Species program, however, grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are native species in Idaho," the ISDA said.