Loads of dead, smelly crickets are causing a bit of an odor problem for a handful of businesses in Waco, Texas. Sky News reports that the decaying bodies just keep piling up, and the stench, despite efforts to eradicate the offending smell, continues to plague frustrated business owners.
Although a local bank and drugstore chain are doing their best to keep the dead cricket problem from irritating their customers, the issue is complicated by the fact that fresh insect corpses appear after a heavy rainfall. Once the water washes these crickets out of their homes, they die and start to rot all over again. Although this is reportedly an annual problem in Waco, this year’s issue was made worse by last year’s mild winter.
Jani Rodriguez, who owns a bank plagued by the odor of dead crickets, has tried numerous solutions, though none of them seem to work. Despite blocking smaller openings that crickets may use to gain access to the establishment, the stench of decaying insects never really goes away.
“It’s outside, it’s inside. You kind of get used to it when you’re here. But when you walk out and come back in, it’s really bad,” Rodriguez explained.
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald , a CVS drugstore has waged its own war against the piles of dead crickets that tend to croak right in front of the shop’s main entrance. Although employees do their best to keep the front of the store neat and tidy, the deceased insects always return after the rain starts to fall.
“We know it affected business,” CVS assistant store manager Mellinda Whitten explained. “Some people turned around and walked out. But you can’t help that.”
The Globe and Mail explains that, while repulsive and kind of gross, officials claim the dead crickets do not pose any direct health risks.
