In areas like Fillmore and Tooele, residents describe the invasion as 'apocalyptic', with bugs covering roads, fences, walls, and even the sides of homes.

Crushed crickets have made roads dangerously slick, leading to car accidents. In some counties, snow plows are being used to clear away tons of insects.

Mormon crickets are large, flightless katydids—shiny, reddish insects that can grow up to two inches long. 

They're native to the western US, especially in states like Montana, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada.

These crickets thrive in drought and warm weather, forming massive migrating swarms that can number in the millions. 

Farmers are already reporting early crop losses, and backyard gardens are being stripped overnight. In small towns, the air reeks of rotting insects. 

Officials are warning that the worst may be yet to come. Eggs that hatched in spring could lead to a second wave of crickets by summer.

Their name goes back to the 1800s, when Mormon pioneers in Utah faced a similar outbreak. 

Early settlers watched helplessly as the insects devoured entire fields of wheat, corn, and barley. 

Residents are being urged to seal cracks in their homes, eliminate food and water sources, regularly take out the trash, and check dark areas indoors for signs of infestations.

Jed Christensen, a homeowner and business owner in Millard County, told FOX 13 he plans to hire pest control for a growing problem at his store on the town's north side.

Christensen remembers how bad the infestations were when he was a child growing up in Millard.

'I remember walking down Corn Creek Canyon as a little boy, sprinting through the thick patches because we were scared to walk through them,' he said. 

'We were coming down the canyon road, and it looked like we were running through water. They would just part for us. So yeah, I've dealt with this before.'

Now, in 2025, history is repeating itself. A dry winter and mild weather have allowed cricket eggs to survive in large numbers.

Pest control companies say spring and fall are their busiest times, and they're urging homeowners to take action early.