Drivers cruising Highway 140 outside the tiny community of Adel are hitting a different kind of traffic: thick waves of Mormon crickets that blanket the road, reek when crushed and turn the pavement into a slippery mess. For now, federal and state officials say the swarms are more gross than catastrophic, but they are mapping hot spots and weighing treatments as ranchers look on nervously, mindful of the major outbreaks that have hammered eastern Oregon rangeland in recent years.
Officials confirm swarms and hold a community meeting
According to the Bureau of Land Management, staff from the Lakeview district and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) hosted a public meeting in Adel after APHIS surveys during the week of June 1 confirmed active Mormon cricket bands along Highway 140. The agency said it has asked APHIS for help treating affected public rangelands and is urging residents to report sightings so managers can sharpen their infestation maps.
Treatment options: bait and growth-inhibitor spray
Federal guidance identifies two main tools for knocking populations back: carbaryl bait and a diflubenzuron-based spray that keeps young crickets from maturing, with required safeguards for water and non-target species, according to USDA APHIS. This season, federal crews in Lake County started with carbaryl-based bait treatments while agencies continue surveying to see where additional control work is warranted, OPB reported.
Legal fight over sprays could change how treatments happen
Environmental groups including the Xerces Society and the Center for Biological Diversity have pushed back on APHIS’s spray-heavy playbook, arguing that broad insecticide use can hit pollinators and other wildlife along with the target pests. A federal court in Portland previously ruled that APHIS violated environmental laws by failing to adequately analyze non-chemical alternatives and site-specific impacts, a decision covered by KUNM. Advocates say that ruling is likely to steer agencies toward more integrated pest-management strategies.
What drivers and locals are seeing
On the ground, the problem is less abstract and more visceral. Crickets crowd onto the sun-warmed asphalt, cluster along busy stretches and leave behind a sour smell and greasy smear when traffic grinds them up. Joey Nikirk, a spokesperson for the BLM, told OPB that the insects’ draw to heat, along with protein and salt from already-crushed crickets, helps explain why so many end up piled on Highway 140.
Why this matters for ranchers and farmers
The stakes get higher once you look beyond the shoulder of the highway. Recent state surveys estimate that more than 10.8 million acres across 18 Oregon counties hit economically infested levels, with Lake County among the places showing substantial affected acreage, according to the ODA. With warmer, drier seasons priming conditions for population booms, land managers say it is critical to catch outbreaks early, use targeted treatments and coordinate closely with private landowners to head off larger rangeland losses.
Next steps and how to report sightings
For the moment, agencies are labeling the Adel swarms as a localized headache rather than a full-blown agricultural emergency, but monitoring and spot treatments are expected to continue while officials refine infestation maps and thresholds for action. The BLM’s Lakeview office has shared contact information and organized the Adel community meeting, and residents who encounter dense bands of crickets are encouraged to pass along specific locations to local BLM staff or APHIS so responses can be fine-tuned to limit harm to non-target species, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
