‘Cricket apocalypse’ spares Baylor campus

Cricket Apocalypse Spares Baylor Campus

Last fall, Baylor University experienced an overwhelming swarm of crickets that infiltrated nearly every corner of the campus. Returning students recall the extensive carpet of cricket remains along the path between Penland and the tennis courts.

Expert Explanation of the Swarm

Dr. Jeff Back, a lab instrument specialist at the Center for Reservoir and Aquatic System Research, explained the phenomenon:

“It’s a result of just near optimal conditions for the survivability of the insects throughout its life cycle. And so lots of eggs hatch, lots of immature survive to adulthood, and, voila, you have cricket apocalypse.”

Cricket Presence on Campus

Dr. Back noted that the Baylor Sciences Building (BSB), where his office is located, was heavily affected during the cricket season last fall.

“Usually, you see aggregations of them around entryways to buildings and stuff that has lights,” Back said. “That’s how you know it’s cricket season. And then they’re all getting into the BSB … you see them on the floor.”

Factors Influencing Cricket Population

The population of crickets fluctuates seasonally and is strongly influenced by weather conditions.

Drought during summer tends to trigger large population explosions.
A very wet fall supports their survival.
Recent rainfall after a dry period has just started.

“Typically, what drives huge population explosions of these crickets is drought through the summertime and then a very wet fall,” Back said. “We haven’t had rain until recently, like the last few weeks.”

Author’s summary: Favorable weather patterns of dry summer followed by wet fall caused last year’s massive cricket swarm at Baylor, which heavily affected campus buildings and paths.

The Baylor Lariat — 2025-11-07