Along with the heat, something else bugging people around this time of year is bugs, in particular, the Mormon Cricket. People have already reported seeing the bugs in Lemmon Valley this Spring.
Mormon Crickets have made their way to Lemmon Valley, which isn't typical for these pests. "They never move this far South. So this is the first time they've gotten down into Lemmon Valley," said Nevada Department of Agriculture state entomologist Jeff Knight.
Usually you'll find Mormon Crickets in Winnemucca or even Red Rock, but this year looks like a special one for the bug. "Obviously the population has increased quite a bit. These outbreaks, if you want to call them that, typically last 1 to 3 years," said Knight.
Drought tends to bring the Mormon Cricket out, and there wasn't a lot of snow this year. Eggs that didn't hatch in earlier years, may have this year which could be dangerous. "We have seen some areas around the state where the crickets have gotten heavy enough that the roads will get covered with the dead crickets. If you have a little summer thunderstorm, it can get really slick. We have had areas where that has caused vehicle accidents," said Knight.
Knight says the Department of Agriculture normally disperse pre-treatment by airplane in outbreak years. But this year they're weren't able to accomplish that goal. "Our environmental assessment had some questions opposed to it. It took a bit of time to get to those questions. So our aerial program was delayed," said Knight.
On Thursday, they will start treating public lands by ground. Private property owners, however, will have to fend for their own property using bait or other methods. "There is what we call cricket fences that can you can put up that are 18 to 20 inches high," said Knight.
