The small town of Elko in rural northeastern Nevada is being invaded by a swarm of blood-red crickets
Jeremiah Moore has a cricket climb onto his arm during the migration of Mormon crickets, Saturday, June 17, 2023, in Spring Creek, Nev. Outbreaks of Mormon crickets, which are native to the Great Basin and Intermountain West, have been recorded throughout history across the west, from Nevada and Montana to Idaho, Utah and Oregon. ELKO, Nev. — — Dana Dolan was driving through her small Nevada hometown when she thought she had come upon a gory crash.
The invasion of the cannibalistic crickets has hit especially hard in Elko, a small town of about 20,000 near Idaho and Utah known for its gold mining. The red creatures blanket highways and scuttle over barriers, seeking food. They crackle and pop under the wheels of trucks, creating something like an oil slick, said Jeremiah Moore of Spring Creek, whose vehicle slid off the road after a highway encounter with the Mormon crickets.
“We’re just trying to keep them moving on their way,” said Steve Burrows, a spokesperson for Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital.There was the medical worker in the cardiology unit who, still in his black scrubs, went outside the hospital’s ambulance bay between seeing patients to swat crickets away with a broom, Burrows said. And the IT specialists who helped with clean-up efforts.
Each spring — or summer, in this case — the crickets born that year will mate and lay a new generation of eggs in the soil. Those eggs are meant to hatch the following spring, but some will lay dormant in the soil for up to 11 years, Knight said. Eggs can accumulate in the dirt for years until a drought comes along, triggering the sleepy eggs to hatch all at once. And then the cycle repeats.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Just Disgusting’: A Nevada City Confronts Millions of Smelly Mormon CricketsMillions of Mormon crickets have arrived in Elko, Nevada, the spindly copper creatures blanketing parts of the city, so staff members at the Shilo Inns Elko on Saturday discussed ways to combat them. Hotel workers poured a hot-water mix of vinegar, bleach and dish soap. They even aimed pressure washers at the brown clusters of exoskeletons. Still, the jumpy insects kept coming. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Finally, Kimmy Hall, general manager of Shilo Inns, told her
Read more »
Mormon crickets plague parts of Nevada and IdahoWhile Mormon crickets aren't known to bite humans, they give the appearance of invading populated areas by covering buildings, sidewalks and roadways.
Read more »
Tribal activists see ‘green colonialism’ in Nevada mine Biden hails as key to clean energyJust 45 miles (72 kilometers) from the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation where Daranda Hinkey and her family corral horses and cows, a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s clean energy plan is taking shape: construction of one of the largest lithium mines in the world.
Read more »
Tribal activists see 'green colonialism' in Nevada mine Biden hails as key to clean energyA huge lithium mine under construction in northern Nevada is at the center of a dispute over President Joe Biden’s clean energy agenda
Read more »