* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Monday, September 8, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Monumental Sports & Entertainment Sets Corporate Direction at Nasdaq – PR Newswire

    Monumental Sports & Entertainment Reveals Bold New Corporate Vision at Nasdaq

    The Secret to What Made ‘CarJack’ Work on As the World Turns – yahoo.com

    The Surprising Secret Behind ‘CarJack’s’ Success on As the World Turns

    Victor Garber on his viral “And Just Like That” toilet scene: ‘I was delighted to be doing something ridiculous’ (exclusive) – yahoo.com

    Victor Garber on his viral “And Just Like That” toilet scene: ‘I was delighted to be doing something ridiculous’ (exclusive) – yahoo.com

    Pendulum Announce Homecoming 2026 Australian Tour – yahoo.com

    Pendulum Announces Thrilling Homecoming Tour Across Australia in 2026

    ITV Studios Launches New Entertainment Label – Global Bulletin – IMDb

    ITV Studios Unveils Exciting New Entertainment Label

    TS Entertainment bringing Malibu Jack’s to former Owensboro mall – Lane Report

    TS Entertainment Launches Malibu Jack’s at Former Owensboro Mall Location

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    AI will reshape internet, create jobs in West Virginia says High Technology Foundation’s Estep – WV News

    How AI Is Set to Transform the Internet and Boost Job Growth in West Virginia

    Industry partner provides Ferris State Plastics Engineering Technology students with state-of-the-art equipment to gain in-demand skills – Ferris State University

    Industry Partner Equips Ferris State Plastics Engineering Students with Cutting-Edge Technology to Boost In-Demand Skills

    Health Technology Ecosystem – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | CMS (.gov)

    Discover the Future of Health Technology: Innovations Revolutionizing Patient Care

    Coherent Joins LLNL’s STARFIRE Diode Technology Working Group to Advance Inertial Fusion Energy – GlobeNewswire

    Coherent Partners with LLNL’s STARFIRE Team to Drive Breakthroughs in Inertial Fusion Energy

    Gene Associated With Deadly Heart Disease in Golden Retrievers Identified – Technology Networks

    Breakthrough Discovery Uncovers Gene Behind Deadly Heart Disease in Golden Retrievers

    Monkey Island LNG Picks ConocoPhillips’ Liquefaction Technology – Hart Energy

    Monkey Island LNG Selects ConocoPhillips’ Advanced Liquefaction Technology for Next-Gen Energy Solutions

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Monumental Sports & Entertainment Sets Corporate Direction at Nasdaq – PR Newswire

    Monumental Sports & Entertainment Reveals Bold New Corporate Vision at Nasdaq

    The Secret to What Made ‘CarJack’ Work on As the World Turns – yahoo.com

    The Surprising Secret Behind ‘CarJack’s’ Success on As the World Turns

    Victor Garber on his viral “And Just Like That” toilet scene: ‘I was delighted to be doing something ridiculous’ (exclusive) – yahoo.com

    Victor Garber on his viral “And Just Like That” toilet scene: ‘I was delighted to be doing something ridiculous’ (exclusive) – yahoo.com

    Pendulum Announce Homecoming 2026 Australian Tour – yahoo.com

    Pendulum Announces Thrilling Homecoming Tour Across Australia in 2026

    ITV Studios Launches New Entertainment Label – Global Bulletin – IMDb

    ITV Studios Unveils Exciting New Entertainment Label

    TS Entertainment bringing Malibu Jack’s to former Owensboro mall – Lane Report

    TS Entertainment Launches Malibu Jack’s at Former Owensboro Mall Location

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    AI will reshape internet, create jobs in West Virginia says High Technology Foundation’s Estep – WV News

    How AI Is Set to Transform the Internet and Boost Job Growth in West Virginia

    Industry partner provides Ferris State Plastics Engineering Technology students with state-of-the-art equipment to gain in-demand skills – Ferris State University

    Industry Partner Equips Ferris State Plastics Engineering Students with Cutting-Edge Technology to Boost In-Demand Skills

    Health Technology Ecosystem – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | CMS (.gov)

    Discover the Future of Health Technology: Innovations Revolutionizing Patient Care

    Coherent Joins LLNL’s STARFIRE Diode Technology Working Group to Advance Inertial Fusion Energy – GlobeNewswire

    Coherent Partners with LLNL’s STARFIRE Team to Drive Breakthroughs in Inertial Fusion Energy

    Gene Associated With Deadly Heart Disease in Golden Retrievers Identified – Technology Networks

    Breakthrough Discovery Uncovers Gene Behind Deadly Heart Disease in Golden Retrievers

    Monkey Island LNG Picks ConocoPhillips’ Liquefaction Technology – Hart Energy

    Monkey Island LNG Selects ConocoPhillips’ Advanced Liquefaction Technology for Next-Gen Energy Solutions

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Nevada is crawling with swarms of smelly ‘Mormon crickets’

June 23, 2023
in Science
Nevada is crawling with swarms of smelly ‘Mormon crickets’
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Animals

Millions of the bugs, native to the U.S. West, are blanketing sidewalks and devouring vegetation.

ByLiz Langley

Published June 22, 2023

• 5 min read

Hordes of Mormon crickets—technically a type of shield-back katydid and not a cricket at all—have been migrating through Elko, Nevada and other areas of the West in recent weeks, creating a scene like something from a scary movie. 

These flightless, thumb-sized, omnivorous cannibals have been covering sidewalks, eating up vegetation and each other. They don’t bite, but they do literally stink.

Len Coop, an entomologist at the Oregon State University describes their fragrance as a “musky, sickening odor,” and notes “they probably smell worse when you crush them because it releases a lot more scent,” an inevitability when they’re covering roads like an undulating carpet.

If you’re driving on a smaller road and your window is down, says Greg Sword, an entomologist at Texas A&M University,“it sounds like you’re driving over bubble wrap.”

(Watch swarms of millipedes join ranks to survive.)

 Where did they come from? 

Mormon crickets got their name during a mid-19th century migration into the Salt Lake area in Utah where they destroyed the crops of Mormon settlers. As they feasted, they chirped like crickets.

These invaders, though, are not invasive.

“They’re indigenous, native to the Great Basin mountain range system and the high desert of all these western states,” Coop says. They’re successful at these elevations because they tolerate cold temperatures well.

Mormon crickets breed once a year and their eggs, often laid just under the sandy soil, can tolerate below-freezing temperatures. They hatch the following year, or at high elevations where it’s colder, they may hold out for a second year.

After hatching they’ll go through eight growth stages as nymphs. In that stage, they may be solitary, chowing on grasses, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.

But when the population booms and food is scarce, they migrate, moving forward in large masses during the daytime when temperatures are mild and stopping when temperatures fall at night.

The migration changes them from loners to “gregarious,” social insects, Coop says. Young members of the migrating group change color to green, orange, or brown and march together.

Sex roles also change on the road: When the crickets are stationary and food is abundant, the males compete for females to mate with and give a spermatophore, a nutritious package passed along with the sperm during mating, Sword says.

When food is scarce and the crickets are moving, however, females compete for access to the males and this now-valuable nutritional resource for their offspring.

Where are they going?

Mormon crickets don’t have a predetermined destination, like monarch butterflies that migrate from North America to Mexico. They simply keep moving forward in search of food and possibly in order not to get eaten by the crickets behind them. Sword and his colleagues also found evidence in a 2005 study of external factors—such as wind direction or the movement of individuals—changing the direction of the group.

Along the way, they eat a lot of vegetation, including crops, gardens, and rangeland livestock forage. A 1937 infestation caused $500,000 in damages, over $10 million in today’s currency. In 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported $25 million worth of damage to crops including wheat, barley, and safflower.

“They don’t just eat everything down to the ground [on rangelands],” Sword says, but are discriminating, starting with nice, soft seed heads and flowers. However, if they find a farm, like an alfalfa field, they’re an immediate threat to someone’s livelihood.

In addition to providing new food sources, migration provides safety in numbers. Lone crickets are easy targets, but the larger the group the better the chance that a predator will grab somebody else.

Mormon crickets are cannibals

In a 2006 study in the journal PNAS, Sword and his team tried to determine what the insects were looking to eat.

What they were missing in their diet was protein and salt—two dietary needs that can be met by eating their fellow crickets.

“Put two in a bucket, and you’ll only see one in the end,” Sword says. In under an hour, one will have eaten the other.

Their cannibalism is more opportunistic than the result of predatory behavior. If one is injured, it will likely get eaten. They also scavenge their fallen, or squished, comrades.

(Cannibalism in animals is more common than you think.)

Appreciating the spectacle

The bugs haven’t always been considered a headache.

Native Americans appreciated them as a food source, and today, edible insects are increasingly considered a new, sustainable form of protein.

And while they may be a nuisance for many, Sword admires their ability to survive.

“You get these groups of millions and millions of insects all marching across the desert in the same direction in a seemingly coordinated fashion,” he says. “From a science perspective, it’s remarkable.”

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/swarms-mormon-crickets-invade-nevada

Tags: crawlingNevadascience
Previous Post

Start your summer off strong with PopSci’s latest muscular issue

Next Post

Barcelona leading the race for wantaway Man City defender – 101 Great Goals

Invasive flathead catfish now top predators in Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania – Phys.org

Invasive Flathead Catfish Rise to Top Predator Status in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River

September 8, 2025
Column | Is whole milk better than low-fat? Here’s what the science says. – The Washington Post

Column | Is whole milk better than low-fat? Here’s what the science says. – The Washington Post

September 8, 2025
Ripple will launch their Fall 2025 Watershed Science Field Season following DayOne – Montana Tech

Ripple Launches Exciting Fall 2025 Watershed Science Field Season

September 8, 2025
Cancer risk according to lifestyle risk score trajectories: a population-based cohort study – Nature

Cancer risk according to lifestyle risk score trajectories: a population-based cohort study – Nature

September 8, 2025
AI will reshape internet, create jobs in West Virginia says High Technology Foundation’s Estep – WV News

How AI Is Set to Transform the Internet and Boost Job Growth in West Virginia

September 8, 2025
University of Missouri changes student ticket claim process to lottery – KOMU 8

University of Missouri Launches Exciting New Lottery System for Student Ticket Claims

September 8, 2025
Poland vs Finland: UEFA World Cup Qualifiers stats & head-to-head – BBC

Poland vs Finland: Key Stats and Head-to-Head Showdown in UEFA World Cup Qualifiers

September 8, 2025
Putin Ally Issues Dire Warning About Russian Economy – Newsweek

Putin Ally Issues Stark Warning About Russia’s Economic Future

September 8, 2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Sets Corporate Direction at Nasdaq – PR Newswire

Monumental Sports & Entertainment Reveals Bold New Corporate Vision at Nasdaq

September 8, 2025
Trump’s new law will limit payments to hospitals that treat low-income patients – Stateline

Trump’s New Law Targets Major Cuts to Payments for Hospitals Serving Low-Income Patients

September 8, 2025

Categories

Archives

September 2025
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« Aug    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (813)
  • Economy (830)
  • Entertainment (21,708)
  • General (16,921)
  • Health (9,872)
  • Lifestyle (844)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (833)
  • Politics (837)
  • Science (16,040)
  • Sports (21,330)
  • Technology (15,811)
  • World (812)

Recent News

Invasive flathead catfish now top predators in Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania – Phys.org

Invasive Flathead Catfish Rise to Top Predator Status in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River

September 8, 2025
Column | Is whole milk better than low-fat? Here’s what the science says. – The Washington Post

Column | Is whole milk better than low-fat? Here’s what the science says. – The Washington Post

September 8, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version