‘Simply Disgusting’: A Nevada town faces millions of smelly Mormon crickets

Millions of Mormon crickets have arrived in Elko, Nev., the spindly copper creatures that blanket parts of the city, so staffers at the Shilo Inns Elko discussed ways to fight them on Saturday.

Hotel employees poured a hot water mixture of vinegar, bleach, and dish soap.

They even aimed pressure washers at the brown clusters of exoskeletons. Still, the bouncy bugs kept coming.

Finally, Kimmy Hall, the general manager of Shilo Inns, told her overwhelmed staff, “We can’t beat them. But we can stop them.”

Such was the mood in Elko, a town of about 20,000 that has been infested with Mormon crickets, which have recently hatched and are in a migratory phase.

Although the crickets have been moving through the area for a few years, about 300 miles northeast of Reno, millions are springing up this month over densely populated neighborhoods and heavily trafficked roads. As vehicles drive over the crickets’ bodies, which crack easily like chips, their entrails come out.

The more crickets are run over, the thicker the layers build up on the road, leaving a viscous, clay-colored mixture that can make for slippery driving conditions, the Nevada Department of Transportation warned. on Twitter.

The amount and distribution of the crickets on the road is so ubiquitous that the department uses plows to clean up the slimy brown residue.

mormon crickets, which are not actually crickets, but shell-backed katydids, ground-dwelling insects are native to the western United States. They feed on grasses, shrubs and crops, which can contribute to soil erosion and nutrient-poor soils, according to the University of Nevada, Reno.

The Southwest is experiencing a severe drought, which the university says is “encouraging Mormon cricket outbreaks” that can last five to 21 years and cause “significant economic losses to rangeland, cropland and home gardens.”

The name Mormon crickets derives from how the insects would invade the crops of Mormon settlers in Utah’s Great Salt Lake area around the mid-1800s, according to Washington State University. Males chirp like other crickets, “hence the incorrect common name,” according to the university.

Since the 1990s, the Mormon cricket population has exploded, especially in Nevada, according to the University of Nevada, Reno. In 2006, Mormon crickets infested about 10 million acres in the state.

The crickets — which are about two inches long and have plump bodies — turn brick homes, front yards, and beige sidewalks a darker shade of reddish-brown. They don’t bite, but they do induce squeamishness, especially in some newer residents.

“It’s been insane,” said Charles Carmichael, the owner of Battle Born Pest Control. ‘It’s been wild. I haven’t sprayed so many cricket houses in a long, long time.

In suburban stucco homes, he’s seen Mormon crickets crawl along exterior walls, moving like aliens in a retro arcade game.

The crickets have devoured gardens, invaded homes and somehow found their way into people’s backpacks and hair, causing cries, Mr. Carmichael said.

He has limited weapons at his disposal. Many chemical deterrents do not work. The best he can do is put up smooth plastic fencing around gardens, as the crickets can’t climb over smooth surfaces.

Still, as Mrs. Hall of the Shilo Inns well knows, killing the crickets can lead to stinky results: the remains reek of fish or dog poop.

“Just disgusting,” said Mrs. Hall.

Chris Gomez, the store manager of Big 5 Sporting Goods in Elko, said Mormon crickets have covered the sidewalk near the store and the entrance in recent days. Most customers “harden it out” and race in, he said. But not everyone.

“We had some little kids who cried when they tried to get in,” Mr. Gomez said. “You know, they’re a little scared.”