ELKO, Nevada — A migration of millions of Mormon crickets reached the Nevada city of Elko this week, and the little insects are everywhere: on roads, in fields and shrubs, climbing walls.
"They're just gross," resident Precious Drake told NBC News. "... Yeah, they poop everywhere. We just stay inside. We don't go outside."
The crickets, which are native to the western United States, are in their migratory phase. They have a four- to six-year cycle and then go dormant for a few years. The last dormant period ended in 2019, so now they're back, NBC News said.
They may travel between a half-mile and a mile every day and then stay at a site for usually three to four days, according to the University of Nevada-Reno.
For residents of Elko – a city of about 20,000 residents along Interstate 80 in northeastern Nevada – the crickets can't move on soon enough.
The Nevada Department of Transportation had to plow crickets from area highways because they make for slick driving conditions.
Steve Burrows, the director of community relations for Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in Elko, told NBC News that employees have used leaf-blowers, brooms and a tractor with a snow plow attachment to push piles of crickets away from entrances.
"I do sympathize with people because yeah, it is kind of overwhelming to have these kind of populations, but they will go away," said Jeff Knight, a Nevada Department of Agriculture entomologist, to NBC News.
More environmental coverage from 9NEWS:
> Top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you! Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER right now to get can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Colorado Climate
9NEWS+
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.