Out of nowhere they appear… on walls, under mats, over desks, and above heads. These 6-legged insects wreak havoc and bring fear everywhere. Grylloidea of the house orthoptera, more commonly known as crickets, have been spotted all over campus in these past few weeks. 

But according to AP Environmental Science teacher Jamie Berendt, this isn’t some mass insect invasion, but rather a natural cycle for crickets.

“The crickets we are seeing hatch in the spring and feed all summer, mate in the beginning of fall and quickly die off,” she said. “The theory is, since we had such a dry and hot summer, these crickets thrived and lived longer than expected.”

Crickets are usually found hiding under dead plants or on living plants. However, recent changes in weather have destroyed their ecosystems and unbalanced their life cycles. 

“Sudden rainfall and cooling of the air has triggered them into their mating seasons, and to move indoors to escape all the moisture,” Berendt said.

On campus, students have noted swarms of crickets almost everywhere. 

“I’ve seen dead crickets, in theater, in the auditorium, in geometry, and all over the school,” freshman Anagha Konuru said.

“There have been giant bugs on walls, in front of bathroom doors, at home, basically they’ve been showing up almost everywhere,” freshman Yejin Choi said. 

Because crickets have such a high reproduction rate, the number of crickets in the area rapidly increases, making them much more noticeable. 

“Each cricket can lay about 100 eggs per day, with up to 3000 in their lifespan,” Berendt said. “With the weather and time of year, the numbers are very reasonable.”