SAN ANTONIO – KSAT viewers are sending images to the newsroom of area shopping centers that have been inundated with crickets.
Molly Keck, integrated pest management program specialist for Texas A&M Agrilife, said many have confused the crickets with grasshoppers. Currently, grasshoppers are on the decline, but crickets have seen a large spike. According to Keck, it is due to perfect weather conditions.
"Dry summers allow eggs and nymphs to survive because there are less fungal diseases," Keck said. "Then when that is broken by rains and cooler weather, their populations explode."
Campus chickens combat crickets at Boerne elementary school
Courtesy KSAT Viewer Kaitlyn Marie
Cricket populations increase every year during the fall, but some years, they are just more numerous than others. Clusters of crickets can be found around light-colored buildings and stores that run lights all night long. Places such as movie theaters, gas stations and shopping centers are popular spots for the insects.
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