Mormon crickets have no taste in music, and Nevadans are using it against them. Residents of Tuscarora are getting ready to blast their boomboxes to ward off the crickets’ semi-annual invasion, after the townsfolk realized three years ago that the pests don’t like Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones.
Mormon crickets are a real problem in northern Nevada and other parts of the Great Basin: They march in columns up to two miles long and one mile wide from about May through August. They hatch in April and invade all aspects of life before they finally lay eggs and die. They destroy crops, invade people’s homes (one resident said, “You’ll wake up and there’ll be one sitting on your forehead, looking at you”), and clog roadways—even requiring snowplows to clear out their piled-up carcasses.
People do what they can to steer the pests away, trying poison bait and other tricks. But in 2006, after reading about a woman in the 1930s who had driven the insects off with a Chinese gong, a Tuscarora resident was inspired to try out some modern music. Since she knew the crickets rested at night, she got a group together to blast music for several days from early morning ’til evening. They tuned their stereos to a hard rock station, and local reports that year said that the music stopped many of the bugs in their tracks.
According to a state entomologist, “The vibrations may deter the bugs, but I don’t know of any research that says yes or no.”
Maybe Tuscarora should petition the Stones for a reunion concert in their town. Outdoors.
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Image: Wikimedia
April 27th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Led Zeppelin = “no taste in music”?
Please…
Even if YOU don’t like them, why would any writer think to characterize their music that way? You don’t realize how popular they were / are?
Wow.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
@ Chris
I think you’re misunderstanding what he says.
If the crickets had a good taste in music, they wouldn’t mind the led zeppelin, and wouldn’t crawl away from it.
Don’t be so quick to get offended. This is science article anyway, not about the cultural significance of a couple of limey Brits…
April 27th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Chris:
no, dude. quit tokin and read the translation:
crickets flee because they DON’T rock the Zep. therefore they have no taste in music. if they DID have taste, they would hang out and jam.
resume toke.
he who rocks the Zep rocks the world.
April 27th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
[...] All right, I’ve gone over two pretty serious stories so far. How about something a little less taxing on our psyche? Maybe some music… although it seems that crickets in Nevada might even argue with that suggestion. [...]
April 27th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
So the moral is (not surprisingly)
Mormon Crickets have lousy taste in music.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
i would run for the sake of my ears too if some one was blast lead zipllin at me,
April 28th, 2009 at 2:11 am
Btw
you
April 28th, 2009 at 2:18 am
Why don’t we focus our attentiom on . . . muslim. christian crickets
April 28th, 2009 at 2:46 am
# flamenfiddle Says:
April 28th, 2009 at 2:18 am
“Why don’t we focus our attentiom on . . . muslim. christian crickets…..”
say what? please elaborate…
April 29th, 2009 at 6:52 am
[...] Townspeople Thwart Cricket Invasion by Blasting Led Zeppelin [...]
April 29th, 2009 at 10:53 am
[...] longer reserved for dope-smokers and devil-worshippers, Led Zeppelin tunes are now being used as insect repellents against annoying arthropods in northern Nevada. Called Mormon crickets, the [...]
April 29th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Is amazing, Led Zeppelin is the best band of the world.
Jimmy Page is the best.
Led Zeppelin live forever.
Hello from Spain.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
[...] DiscoverMagazine.com) var [...]
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:22 am
[...] gonna be OK. * This could come in handy — a glossary of recession-related terms. * Townsfolk deter crickets with Led Zeppelin and the Stones. In other news, WASPs avoid Public Enemy and the Sugar Hill Gang. [...]
July 1st, 2009 at 4:58 pm
[...] Discoblog: Bees on a Plane! 10,000 Bees Swarm an Airplane Wing in Massachusetts Discoblog: Townspeople Thwart Cricket Invasion by Blasting Led Zeppelin Discoblog: U.S. Military Takes on the War [...]
July 31st, 2009 at 11:18 am
[...] How bad is this cricket invasion? Here’s an excerpt from the article: [...]
September 14th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
HERE IS A BIT OF A TWISTED VERSION OF THIS WONDERFUL ARTICLE : Hello my friends, how about this interesting scientific observation I just learned of? We’ll call it: “Townspeople Thwart Cricket Invasion by Blasting Led Zeppelin” . .Mormon crickets have no taste in music, and Nevadans are using it against them. Residents of Tuscarora are getting ready to blast their boomboxes to ward off the crickets’ semi-annual invasion, after the townsfolk realized three years ago that the pests don’t like Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones. (hmmm… says something about closed mindedness…). Mormon crickets are a real problem in northern Nevada and other parts of the Great Basin: They march in columns up to two miles long ( wearing black Hagar slacks and white shirts w/ a black tie, sometimes on little bicycles ) and one mile wide, from about May through August. They hatch in April and invade all aspects of life (thus, the name) before they finally lay eggs and die….Hmmmm, if only…. They destroy crops, invade people’s homes (one resident said, “You’ll wake up and there’ll be one sitting on your forehead, looking at you”), and clog roadways—even requiring snowplows to clear out their piled-up carcasses. People do what they can to steer the pests away (tell ‘em you’re a catholic!) trying poison bait and other tricks. But in 2006, after reading about a woman in the 1930s who had driven the insects off with a Chinese gong (-Bong?-) a Tuscarora resident was inspired to try out some modern music. Since she knew the crickets rested at night, she got a group together to blast music for several days from early morning ’til evening. They tuned their stereos to a hard rock station, and local reports that year said that the music stopped many of the bugs in their tracks. Strangely, the citizenry had actual smiles on their faces for the 1st time in years…According to a state entomologist, “The vibrations may deter the bugs, but I don’t know of any research that says yes or no.” Maybe Tuscarora should petition the Stones for a reunion concert in their town. Peace and love- R O’R