The Year of the Cricket

The Chinese have the year of everything, the lion, the tiger, the bear... oh my! Here in Scurry County we're having the year of the cricket.
As a former TV newsguy, this is a great story. It has video, natural sound and the wonderful "X" factor.
Think of the promos, "Coming up tonight at 10:00, the streets are moving with bugs in one local town." Or how 'bout this, "there are so many bugs in one local community--it looks likes the sidewalks are moving. we'll show you the video at 10:00"? Or better yet, "if bugs make your skin crawl, whatever you do--don't watch our video tonight at 10:00".
It really is amazing. In fact, I'm tempted to call the local TV stations--but knowing my luck they'd think I was nuts.
Still, I want to know why.. why so many, why are they here, why do they creep around, what do the eat, are they a health hazard, how do I get rid of them, can I use them for something besides bait.
So with that said, I looked up a few details online. Here's what I found:

The cricket (Acheta assimilis) is one member of the Orthopterans, along with the grasshopper and katydid.

Crickets are said to foretell good luck.

While crickets have wings, the majority of them do not fly.

A cricket usually lives less than one year

They sing to call in mates, and to warn other males that they have entered the territory of another male

An added benefit of their chirping to us, as colder weather arrives, is to listen to how many chirps they emit each minute. By dividing this count by 4, and adding the number 40, you will arrive at the approximate Fahrenheit temperature outside.

See what I mean. It's not hard to find out info and it's kinda fun too. Still, I wonder why we're swamped with them in Scurry County.

Oh well, come visit. Catch some crickets and go fishing! If nothing else, you can go home and tell your friends, "I caught a fish thisssssssssssssssssssssss big."

I gotta go and kills bugs. I don't fish.

Bill Robertson

Mgr., Windmill Ranch Preserve

325.573.1200