A pest infestation has hit the hospital, with staff forced to call in reinforcements after the insects were found in buildings, hedges and car parks.
Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in Elko is currently dealing with an outbreak of Mormon crickets that have taken over the building.
“Crickets have certainly come to Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, but so far, not as many as there were last year,” Steve Burrows, the hospital's director of community relations, told the Elko Daily.
The hospital has hired a cricket exterminator since Friday to eradicate the pests.
“We are once again recruiting temporary workers to join the NNRH Cricket Patrol. These team members will assist with transporting patients to their vehicles.”
“Cricket patrol officers will also be clearing crickets from the hospital entrance and removing dead crickets from the grounds,” Mr Burrows said.
As hospitals got the situation under control, they were forced to move patients around.
The swarm is said to have been triggered by drought in the region.
Nevada's dry season runs from May through September, making it the perfect time for crickets to emerge.
These crickets have been known to become cannibalistic and eat each other when they get hungry.
“The insects themselves were the primary source of these nutrients, and cannibalism was widespread,” the researchers wrote in an early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This can be dangerous for infected people.
The insects have been seen eating each other in the middle of the road and can create slippery conditions for drivers.
“Burn it all down”
People across Nevada are suffering from an infestation of Mormon crickets.
TikTok user Craig Chamberlain captured his home infested with thousands of bugs.
There were swarms of crickets on his driveway and garage door.
He even managed to get a close-up shot of the insect damage on the screen door.
In defense, he tried using a leaf-blowing machine to scare the pests away from his house.
Luckily, none of the bugs managed to get into his house.
But viewers were still horrified by what they saw.
“Nah I'm leaving!” one commenter wrote.
“Burn the whole house down,” another added.