(NewsNation) — Mormon crickets have taken over a Nevada town and gone viral on social media after one resident posted a disturbing video.
The insects are big, stinky and cannibalistic. Mormon crickets are out in full force in Elko, Nevada, blanketing buildings and roads. The big red bugs leave behind a stench so horrible, akin to burning flesh, that it forces residents to plug their noses while driving. The critters stick to tires and the bottoms of shoes, and their carcasses are everywhere, even in gyms.
The giant bugs got their name after destroying crops planted by Mormons in Utah. They typically hatch in spring, but this year’s swarm was delayed until summer thanks to unusually wet conditions over the winter.
Lisa Matthews, a real estate resident in Elko, posted a TikTok video that went viral, leading others to react with horror or commensurate with laughter.
“I mean, we are using humor here in Elko to really get by. I mean, what else are you going to do? It’s not like you can walk out there and be like, ‘Hey, guys, let’s ship it on out,'” Matthews said.
Matthews said the crickets aren’t unusual for Elko, but the swarm is unusual.
“Mormon crickets have been here forever,” she said. “It’s a bigger hatch this year, and they are dispersing farther out.”
Matthews said the crickets haven’t kept her from selling homes, and she’s invited bug lovers to move to the desert town to experience the swarm.
Other residents, however, are resorting to desperate measures to clear the crickets ranging from homemade mixtures of household chemicals to pressure washers. While the bugs don’t pose a direct danger to humans, they can still cause big problems. Crickets cover the roads, getting run over by cars and leaving a slimy, hazardous mess behind.
Residents and workers have tried to use brooms, leaf blowers, pressure washers and snow plows to get rid of the crickets, only for them to return. State officials have erected signs throughout Elko County warning drivers of slick highways, a popular hangout spot for insects that won’t think twice about eating their dead friends.
The bugs even make their way into buildings, finding their way into people’s clothing and other belongings. One hospital actually hired employees just to clear crickets away so patients could enter the facility.
For some, the bugs can be more than just creepy. The crickets can wreak havoc on agricultural crops, which is less of an issue in desert Nevada but a much more pressing concern in other states experiencing swarms, like Wyoming.
The good news is, the swarm won’t last forever. The recently-hatched crickets will live just long enough to mate and lay a new batch of eggs in the ground, which can lay dormant for as long as 11 years. The crickets should die off around mid-August, according to officials.
The bad news is that next year, a new generation of crickets will hatch and begin the cycle again.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.