Crickets across Texoma causing concerns

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - Swarms of crickets have overrun parts of Texoma for months, they have even become more of an annoyance as they find their way into homes, businesses, and even schools.

Environmental experts shared crickets might be here for a while.

We’ve seen these little guys hopping around almost everywhere, but with the current weather patterns of heat and rain, it is making the perfect combination for these crickets to stay around a little longer than we’ve anticipated.

“They will disappear with our first cold front. When it freezes, they will be eliminated.” Owner of Dave’s Bug Pro David Brown.

A true waiting game, exterminators say crickets are at the peak of making season.

“We are in their breeding season, and it’s about time for them to move on because of the colder weather.“ Brown said.

Businesses and homes are definitely experiencing the infestation of these field crickets, but the issue has become increasingly difficult for parents of some Wichita Falls students.

”Walk through the steps behind your student, and see what they are dealing with daily on an on-going basis.” Parent of WFISD student Melody Black.

At Rider High School, the walls of the band hall cascaded with these crawlers.

”I don’t know what’s attracting them in the first place but sometimes they’re attracted to the lights, especially at night they’re attracted to any light source they can get. “

Brown said gardening and vast areas of grass in the area can attract the crickets to particular neighborhoods.

Female crickets can lay about 100 eggs a day.

“There’s enough food source around here, and it’s cyclical it’s just one of those years where everything was right and the population was just heavy “ Brown stated.

Experts said that crickets make an appearance every year, but they’re a little more noticeable this time around.

“Normally if they were out and there were a lot of grasses, you wouldn’t really notice them because they out in the grass, but you know we’ve got a building where there is not a place where they can hide, then you start to them all.”

Brown said crickets will not cause any illness or bites.

“However, they do smell really strongly when they start dying and there’s a large number of them. Once they start decomposing, and there’s so many of them you definitely going to smell that.”

Black said she hopes to see extermination or clean up of the dead pile of bugs at the band hall entrance.

”I would like for the crickets to be taken care of due to the smell, and the foul odor the smell is having students to cover their noses and deal with 8 hours of this smell.” Black explained.

Brown says that although these crickets are an annoyance allowing nature to take its course is something we all have to accept.

”They will fly from miles away. So anything you do will be pretty irrelevant to the overall infestation even around your own house.” Brown shared.

Turning off your porch lights could help minimize the number of crickets we’re seeing, but they are also attracted to darker areas.

Patience for cooler weather is the only thing that will make them disappear completely.

Copyright 2023 KAUZ. All rights reserved.