Mormon Crickets Spread Their Gospel Across Nevada
Usually, the sound of crickets brings to mind a relaxing, quiet nightscape… or the sound of epically bombing at an open mic. But for some towns in the west this spring, the sound—and sight—of crickets is deafening.
By Liz Days · May 28, 2024
Disclaimer: While this article is based on a plague of facts, it is also swarming with crunchy satire.
So-called Mormon crickets have staged a full-scale invasion (or, more accurately, an outbreak) in their native western U.S., enveloping roads that now need to be cleared by plows. In Spring Creek, a town in Nevada (the state where this current outbreak is centered), local video footage shows these critters crawling on homes, churches, and businesses by the thousands.
And if you’re wondering where the name comes from, no, Mormon crickets do not wear special undergarments, are not the focus of a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical (yet!), and are not commonly accused of polygamy. Mormon crickets are, instead, named so because of their attack on early Mormon settlers’ fields in 1840s Utah.
Under the strange scientific tradition of naming diseases, syndromes, and plagues after the person who discovered them or was most negatively affected by them, the name “Mormon” qualified in both camps. “Look at these horrific insects we’ve found!” (discovery - CHECK!) “They’re wreaking havoc on all we’ve built! God save us!” (negatively affected - CHECK!). Mormons win!
The “Mormon” part isn’t the only misnomer. These “crickets” aren’t, in fact, even actual crickets. They’re shield-backed, short-winged katydids (which look like chunky, flightless grasshoppers) and grow to be 2 inches. They love quiet evenings at home, long walks on the beach, and destroying everything in their path.
They migrate in a band (a formation, not a musical group, though their choreography is tight), covering a quarter of a mile or more each day, chowing down on crops (and each other!), and causing significant economic and ecological damage. The U.S. Department of Agriculture believes drought conditions caused by climate change are a potential reason for these outbreaks.
“Like I say, we’re just tryna live our lives out here. Dry time’s the best time to bring up a family, and we can get us some good salt-n-protein off the land. We gotta keep moving cuz we don’t know what kinda gull’s gonna drop down from hell on high to make a tasty snack of us. And, yes, if he's in my way, I will eat my cousin, Jiminy, too. If he’s dead, I WILL eat his carcass. S'way it is. Sorry not sorry. ”
Gulls are, indeed, one threat to Mormon crickets (and, in my experience, to my bag of chips, ya jerks!) Many of these insects are being crushed by vehicles in Nevada, but surprisingly, the cars aren’t on the winning side of that battle. Mormon crickets cannibalize their dead (can this get any worse!!??) and pile up on the roads, creating slick conditions. If you’re not grossed out yet, their dead bodies smell like “burning flesh.”
Because these li’l buggers can’t fly, short, smooth walls (about 2 ft high) can slow their progress in fields. Some people even use sound to push them away, blasting hard rock music. Others worry this technique may backfire.
“I heard a whole buncha crickets combing across my neighbor’s field singing ‘I wanna rock and roll all night’ like it was their travel anthem, and I’m like ‘Louann! Turn it down, or them buggers gonna start a club on your porch!’ But that woman doesn't listen.”
Between Mormon crickets in “The Great Basin” and cicadas taking over the southeast, not to mention droughts, plagues, earthquakes, and famine, it may feel like the End Times. But, on the bright side, at least you didn’t epically bomb at an open mic. There’s hope for us all! (chirp chirp. Chirp chirp).