AUSTIN, Texas (KVUE) - According to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, this is one of the most predictable outbreaks concerning insects in Texas this time of year.
The critters seen all over right now are most likely going to be black field crickets, which make their appearance in late summer and fall.
Although the abundance of insects seems concerning, Curator of Entomology at UT Austin Alex Wild said that this happens every year.
Wild also said that the spring season determines how many crickets we experience in the fall. Since this year's spring season brought Austin a lot of rain, that means there's a lot of food for these creatures to thrive on.
Ross Winton, an invertebrate biologist for Texas Parks & Wildlife, also told KVUE that the recent cold front could be a factor in the crickets' sudden immersion.
Texas A&M Agrilife said this is when adult crickets become especially abundant around homes and commercial buildings.
This breed of cricket are typically outdoor insects but can become a "considerable household nuisance when abundant."
Wild said the lights in parking lots are big attractions for the crickets.
“They may also be attracted to the lights so when we have a parking lot with lights and the big building that stands in their way – they’re no longer able to do their normal behavior just moving through the woodland," Wild said.
Local business First Watch, off of US 183, experienced this firsthand. KVUE's Luis de Leon discovered that they are "temporarily closed because of the critters."