Black crickets are back

Black field crickets have taken over North Texas in recent weeks.

Driving the news: Crickets typically become more prevalent around late summer and fall, per the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

• One popular video shows black crickets covering a light pole in a North Texas parking lot.

How it works: Female crickets can lay 150-400 eggs each, per Texas A&M.

• The eggs stay in the soil through the winter, hatching in the spring. Crickets reach adulthood in three months, ready for flying and mating.
• Cricket counts explode in August and September, when cooler and wetter weather arrives. Brightly-lit buildings and floodlights attract the most crickets.

Pro tips: Texas A&M suggests restricting the number of hours your outdoor lights stay on and installing door sweeps with nylon bristles or rubber seals.

• You can also use a liquid insecticide outdoors, but it might not get rid of the issue entirely. Pair it with reduced outdoor lighting for best results.

Yes, but: They'll be back next year.