A Nevada resident has shocked the internet by showing the Mormon crickets that have swarmed on the outside of her property, leaving her imprisoned inside.
Horrified by the latest migration, Colette Reynolds filmed the crickets covering almost all of her driveway and crawling along the walls of her home. Posting the video on her TikTok account (@auntie_coolette) on June 11, the clip has already generated more than 9.7 million views and over 515,000 likes.
While filming the swarm of crickets surrounding her home, Reynolds says to the camera that "it's literally been the worst day" and "by far the most disgusting." The crickets covered the driveway and the lawn around her home, and Reynolds adds that she's been using a leaf blower to create a path to go outside.
Many Nevada residents will be familiar with these pesky insects by now, as the University of Nevada reports that they've historically been a problem in the area. Outbreaks of these crickets can be caused by drought, and the infestation can span up to 21 years.
A fully grown Mormon cricket can reach up to two inches in length, and they can feed on 400 plant species. This is a particular problem for residents because they can cause devastating economic damage as well as staining homes or structures, leading to expensive cleaning costs.
The Mormon crickets usually stay in one location for three to four days and crawl to their next area, as they're flightless insects. It's thought that they can travel between 25 and 50 miles per season, doing up to one mile a day.
The University of Nevada encourages residents to erect slick barriers around their property or precious flowerbeds because the crickets cannot scale these. Homeowners can also rake up the soil around their property during the fall, meaning any eggs are exposed and the cold temperatures will prevent them from hatching.
Anyone who finds these crickets are encouraged to report the issue to the Nevada Department of Agriculture so that pest control can help to remove them.
Since Reynolds posted the video of the crickets covering the outside of her property, she continued to share more as the infestation multiplied and grew even worse.
In one of her videos, Reynolds said: "I am a prisoner in my own home." The growing number of crickets left her unable to leave the house in case they got inside.
The nightmare ordeal shows little sign of ending just yet, and social media has been petrified by the natural migration that Nevada residents are experiencing. The first video Reynolds posted has already received more than 17,000 comments, with many noting how biblical the scene looks.
One person commented: "I was freaking out yesterday because there were a couple flies in my flat, this would kill me."
Another person wrote: "Who cursed Auntie," and @auntie_coolette responded to this comment by writing that "this does look witchy."
Newsweek reached out to @auntie_coolette via Instagram for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
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