Cricket activity picked up around mid-September in the Oklahoma City area after a delayed start to the usual late-summer emergence. KOCO reported that an extended summer pushed back the timing; entomology professor Wyatt Hoback told the station that such surges occur every few years around the first signs of fall. Experts expected the activity to continue until about mid-October.
Seasonal timing, with weather still an uncertain factor
The timing fits a pattern described for some, but not all, field crickets. Oklahoma State University Extension says species differ in their life cycles, and that large numbers of field crickets can appear in August and September in certain years. The extension service describes one common outbreak pattern—dry spring and early summer conditions followed by July and August rain—while noting that other environmental factors can contribute.
Local accounts offer more than one weather explanation. OKC Zoo chief animal program officer Jennifer D’Agostino told News 9 that the insects commonly appear in August and September after rain, and said a lack of rain delayed their arrival this year. She also described the swarms as a sign that food and growing conditions had supported the insects.
The rainfall record provides a limited snapshot, not an explanation for the surge. National Weather Service records show Oklahoma City received 2.38 inches of precipitation from September 1 through October 9, 2.31 inches below the 4.69-inch normal for that period. Because that window includes weeks after the reported mid-September increase, it does not establish what conditions triggered the activity beforehand.
Oklahoma has seen a much earlier large outbreak: OSU Extension cites 1953, when crickets invaded cities and towns across Oklahoma and surrounding states. That historical example establishes precedent, but does not show that this season’s activity is comparable in scale.
Wild activity does not establish store supply
The outdoor surge is separate from the availability of crickets sold as pet food. News 9 reported that Alyssa Cowo-Castañeda, who owns 17 geckos, had struggled for about six months to obtain enough feeder crickets and had been using other feeder insects. The station also reported differing retailer accounts: Petco said it was not experiencing a shortage, PetSmart said it was no longer experiencing one, and some metro reptile owners continued to report difficulty finding crickets.
Heat and shipping interruptions have been cited as possible pressures on feeder supplies elsewhere, but the reports do not establish the cause of Oklahoma owners’ difficulties. KKTV reported that an entomologist identified overheating as a cause of cricket deaths and said stress can increase cannibalism. In a separate example, KY3 reported that a Springfield, Missouri, shop manager said suppliers may stop shipping during severe heat. The station described a July shortage there; it is a comparison, not evidence of what is happening in Oklahoma’s supply chain.
