LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- If it seems like you're seeing a lot more crickets around Acadiana lately, you are not alone.

Talk of a “cricket apocalypse” has been circulating on social media for days. Many people are saying the invasion of crickets is a nuisance to the public, homes and businesses. 

Jeremy Melancon, the owner of Mosquito Squad, said “It’s crazy right now.”

“A lot of it has to do with the drought," Melancon said. "It was so dry for so long, and then the rain just kind of sparked them, and everybody just started hatching and coming out of the ground. We have been getting a lot of increased calls, especially from businesses, especially the food establishments. It just looks bad if you walk in there, and they have crickets, so they want to get them out as soon as possible,” 

Melancon said field crickets come out from dusk to dawn. Although the bite of a cricket is nothing to worry about, they are not completely harmless. 

“The issue is they do carry E. coli and salmonella, and they actually, depending on where they come from, they can carry parasites also, so it is a danger to [the] health of the humans,” he said. 

He said the lifespan of crickets is about 90 days. A helpful tip is to keep the outdoor lighting at your house off when you can. 

“A lot of the light will attract the bugs that the crickets eat. So the best thing to do is just turn the lighting off, and it should help the issue,” said Melancon. “They’re really not going to hurt you if you just leave them be. It’s a nuisance right now, more than anything.” 

“It’s just one of those things you just gotta let it run its course,” he concluded. 

If you cannot get rid of crickets, experts advise you to call a pest control company.