Which Invasion is Worse, Brine Flies in UT or the Crickets in ID

We have already established in previous stories that wasps and hornets are the worst buggy insects. They don’t seem to serve a real purpose, and they are jerks.

We also have to deal with other insect mobs at different times of the year, and recently, two of the craziest invasions happened.

Which Invasion is Worse, the Brine Flies in Utah or the Crickets in Idaho?

There are two yearly insect invasions that happen in Idaho and Utah that are probably more cool to read about than to experience in real life. The millions of crickets, called ‘Mormon Crickets’ (and are actually a Katydid), that trek across Southern Idaho in the spring, and the hatching of the Brine Flies at the Great Salt Lake in Utah. You can see videos of each later.

The ‘Mormon Cricket’ invasion is an event that I experienced last year in Southern Idaho. At first, it was intriguing, and we even got out of our car to marvel at the number of crickets. I then made the mistake of thinking it would be fun to not avoid the ones in the road, and just drive over them.

That was disgusting. The smell and the sound made us feel sick in the car. Plus, the ‘remains’ that coated the wheel well of my car were nearly impossible to wash off.

The brine flies are a different experience, and not a good one. We went to Antelope Island at the Great Salt Lake to see the bison and do some small hikes. We ended up staying in the car most of the time because the Brine Flies were stifling.

If you thought one fly or a mosquito buzzing your hair or eyes was annoying, imagine a cloud of them swarming your face. That’s what you get in the spring at the Great Salt Lake. Though, to be fair, at least we did get to see a few bison from the enclosed comfort of our car.

The Mormon Crickets aren’t only in Idaho. They live all across the Pacific Northwest. If you haven’t experienced either of these insect events, check out the videos below and then let us know which one you think is worse.