Destructive Waves of Mormon Crickets Found in Western Colorado

Hey Utah, are these your crickets? We know you didn't mean for them to escape to Colorado, but they have. Nevada called. They have them as well, just not as many as in Colorado.

Communities on the Western Slope have recently discovered a substantial hatch of Mormon Crickets that has landowners worried about their farms and gardens. All of this is happening not that far from Grand Junction.

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What are Mormon Crickets?

Technically, these are more like fat grasshoppers than crickets. Mormon Crickets are shieldbacked katydids and they get nice and fat. Probably make good fishing bait.

Mormon Crickets are a destructive force when unchecked. The first swarms were written about in the 1840s when a huge wave of them nearly destroyed all the farms and crops around the Latter Day Saints Colony near Salt Lake City.

Anabrus simplex can grow up to three inches in length, and travel 2 kilometers a day but can not fly. They live off of grasses, shrubs, and sagebrush found all over the Western Slope.

Huge Mormon Cricket Infestation Found Near Creede and Meeker

There are cars driving down Colorado 64 between Rangley and Meeker that are skidding on the pavement due to all the smashed Mormon Crickets that are covering the roadway. Did we mention they smell awful?

These reddish-brown Mormon Crickets are being found in mass numbers in Meeker, Creede, Dinosaur, and Maybell. What slows down Mormon Crickets?

What Repels Mormon Crickets?

Mormon Crickets can take years to hatch and years to get rid of. Some say it takes a power washer just to get them off your house once they swarm. The moment a hatch is discovered, spraying needs to begin immediately. Utah State University advises rangeland pesticides like Malathion ULV and Dimilin. When found, landowners attack the first wave or the front line of crickets with the pesticide. The second wave will actually eat the dead ones allowing the pesticide to take care of them as well. Cannibals.