Could This Invasive Insect Be Headed for Louisiana?

SHREVEPORT, LA - You will probably agree, this is just gross. But it's a problem. An invasion of a tiny bug is causing massive problems in one state and other states are also concerned about seeing these swarms arrive. These are known as Mormon crickets and they have descended on a small part of Nevada. In fact, residents of Elko NV are seeing the crickets piling up everywhere.

Watch as some of these bugs arrive in Colorado

Experts say every 20 years we see a population boom among these crickets and that means problems for lots of folks. They breed in rangeland and then move into orchards in early summer and that’s what we are seeing right now in Nevada.

How to Get Rid of Crickets?

The odd thing about Mormon crickets is they don’t fly.

The Guardian reports “Mormon crickets have been a thorn in the side of farmers in the west for more than a century. They earned the name because swarms of the insects destroyed the fields of Mormon settlers in Utah in the mid-19th century. Since then they have continued to devastate corn, oats, wheat, rye and barley, some of the state’s most profitable crops, according to Utah State University.”

Could These Crickets Move into Louisiana?

This is not likely. The crickets have typically stayed in western states. There have been some problems in west Texas in previous years, but that is not expected during this latest outbreak.