In 2003, officials in Utah, Idaho and Nevada said that year's infestation might be the worst in recent history. As soon as one was killed, others of them would alight upon it and devour it. Our teams made great havoc among them so numerous were they that we crushed them at every step. Some were singing on stalks of wild sage others crawling in every direction. I saw some that were about three inches in length, and measuring about three-fourths of an inch in diameter but the common size were two inches in length and one-half or five-eighths of an inch in diameter their legs were large in proportion to the size of their bodies. The ground, for a strip of about four miles, was covered with black crickets of a large size. A journal documenting an 1846 journey along the Oregon Trail describes an encounter with the crickets and notes their cannibalistic behavior: Mormon crickets appear in some traditional Native American diets.

Environmental Protection Agency, its use has no adverse effect on humans or the environment. locustae is a naturally occurring microbe the spores of which kill orthopterans by interfering with the digestive system. ДЄnother method for the control of Mormon crickets is the use of a biopesticide based on the fungus Nosema locustae. Residents of some small towns have used boom boxes and sound systems playing hard rock music in attempts to divert the moving swarms away from crops and houses. Barriers should be at least two feet high and made of a smooth material. Insecticides applied directly to crops may kill the insects, but due to the large size of swarms, this method usually does not save the crop from being destroyed.ДЄs Mormon crickets are flightless, physical barriers may be effective. This bait kills both the Mormon crickets that eat the bait, and the crickets that eat crickets that have eaten the bait. The most common chemical control method used is carbaryl (typically sold as 'Sevin Dust') bait. Gordius robustus, a species of horsehair worm, is a parasite of the Mormon cricket, as is Ooencyrtus anabrivorus. There are no predators that specialize on Mormon crickets, which may be explained by the cricket's migratory habits and large population fluctuations. These predators include California gulls, crows, coyotes and various rodents. Mormon crickets are preyed upon by a wide variety of birds and mammals. Дuring an infestation Mormon crickets can cause significant damage to crops and gardens. Cannibalistic behavior may be a result of protein and salt deficiency swarming behavior may in turn be a strategy to avoid predation by other Mormon crickets. Mormon crickets also eat insects, including other Mormon crickets (especially individuals that have been killed or injured by automobiles or insecticides). The Mormon cricket shows a marked preference for forbs, but grasses and shrubs such as sagebrush are also consumed. The crickets also can cause devastation to agriculture.

When a large band crosses a road, it can create a safety hazard by causing distracted revulsion on the part of the driver, and by causing the road surface to become slick with crushed crickets. The Mormon cricket's cannibalistic behavior may lead to swarm behavior because crickets may need to move constantly forward to avoid attacks from behind. Research published in 2006 shows that Mormon crickets move in these migratory bands, firstly to find new sources of the critical nutrients of protein and salt, and secondly to avoid being eaten by hungry crickets approaching from the rear. The factors that trigger these infestations are poorly understood, but are thought to be weather-related. These infestations may last years or even decades, and are characterized by a gradual increase and then decrease in population. These bands may include millions of individuals and be found with densities of up to 100 individuals per square meter. At certain times and places, however, population explosions or infestations occur in which large numbers of the crickets form roving bands. The Mormon cricket exists in populations of relatively low density throughout most of its range.