Mormon Cricket

Natural Habitat

Rangelands, sagebrush communities, and grasslands in western North America.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivorous; they consume over 400 species of plants, as well as insects, including other Mormon crickets when proteins and salts are scarce.

Behavior Patterns

Flightless but highly mobile, they form massive migratory swarms (nymphs and adults) that can travel up to 2 kilometers a day. They exhibit univoltine life cycles with egg diapause over winter.

Risks & Benefits

Major agricultural pest that can devastate crops and forage; swarms on roads create slick, dangerous driving conditions. They provide some ecosystem benefit as a food source for birds and rodents.

Identified on: 3/29/2026