# Dark Bugs on an Idaho Highway Last Week?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-bugs-on-an-idaho-highway-last-week/837914
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 31, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-bugs-on-an-idaho-highway-last-week/837914 "2019-07-31T04:14:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-bugs-on-an-idaho-highway-last-week/837914/1 "2019-07-31T04:14:14Z")
This might be a usual, common thing, but since I’ve never driven through Idaho before, I wouldn’t know it… I was on Highway 20 northeast of Mountain Home last week and for miles and miles in mid-day (we reached Boise about late lunchtime) there were these big groups of dark insects gathered on the edges of the road… if anyone’s familiar with the area know what they might have been and if this is a common occurrence?
From the way they moved, I’m thinking they weren’t grasshoppers or locusts, but since I didn’t stop to look, I’m not sure what they really were.
Sorry for not providing much to work with, but any ideas about what they might have been?
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2019, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-bugs-on-an-idaho-highway-last-week/837914/2 "2019-07-31T08:26:43Z")
Probably [Mormon](https://www.ksl.com/article/46599978/mormon-crickets-swarm-southeast-idaho-towns) [Crickets](https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/mormon-crickets-are-invading-southeast-idaho/article_ef820935-1631-535f-91bd-3cef4f27da78.html) (a[kind of katydid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_cricket), not actually a cricket) Those links are specific to SE Idaho, but other parts of the whole region get them too.
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2019, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-bugs-on-an-idaho-highway-last-week/837914/3 "2019-07-31T08:43:47Z")
Looks like there’s current swarming in the[Southwestern](https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/article161280033.html) part of the state as well.
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### Author:  [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2019, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-bugs-on-an-idaho-highway-last-week/837914/4 "2019-07-31T11:57:29Z")
> [@MrDibble](#):
>
> Probably [Mormon](https://www.ksl.com/article/46599978/mormon-crickets-swarm-southeast-idaho-towns) [Crickets](https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/mormon-crickets-are-invading-southeast-idaho/article_ef820935-1631-535f-91bd-3cef4f27da78.html) (a[kind of katydid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_cricket), not actually a cricket) Those links are specific to SE Idaho, but other parts of the whole region get them too.
Black, big, move weird, large groups of them for miles - sounds like it probably was. Thanks, **MrDibble**!