The Scrouge Of The Mormon Cricket Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about a town in Nevada known as Elko that has become overrun with what are known as Mormon crickets.  Seems that millions of Mormon crickets have blanketed parts of the city and created a real mess for the residents of the town.  The crickets have been moving through the area which is about 300 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada.  Hotel workers throughout the town have been pouring a hot water mix of vinegar, bleach and dish soap on the crickets, but to no avail.  It hasn't seemed to stop the arrival of the pesky crickets.  They claim they can't win the battle, but they can hold them off in the city of roughly 20,000 residents.  The cricket infestation began a few weeks ago.  As vehicles drive over the cricket's bodies they crack like potato chips and their guts spill out.  The more crickets, the thicker the layers accumulate on the roads, leaving a mixture that can create slick driving conditions.  Plows are used to clear the slimy brown remains.  Mormon crickets are actually shielded-backed katydids which are grown-dwelling insects native to the Western United States.  They feed on grasses, shrubs and crops, which contribute to soil erosion and nutrient-depleted soil.  The name Mormon crickets is derived from how the insects would invade Mormon settlers' crops in Utah's Great Salt Lake area in the mid-1800s.  The Mormon cricket population has been growing since the 1990s and has infested about 10 million acres of Nevada in recent years.  The crickets are about 2 inches in length with plump bodies.  In 2006 it was estimated that they infested 10 million acres in the state.   The crickets have plump bodies and have been turning brick homes, front lawns and beige sidewalks a darker shade of russet.  Luckily they do not bite, but they do induce squeamishness among the residents, especially those that are new to the areas where they are more prominent.  Spraying seems to be   the only way to keep them in check.   Eventually they will disappear, but will more than likely return about the same time next year.  If only they could find a way to stop them from visiting their area or a way to use them for perhaps fertilizer or food for livestock.  Some how they will be conquered, just wait and see!  But, in the time being, the town of Elko will have to put up with the Mormon crickets.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.