The good news is their numbers are expected to be much lower this year, and unattractive scenes of shop owners sweeping out hundreds of crickets each morning will probably be avoided.

Museum Victoria's manager of live exhibits Patrick Honan said any rain events over the last couple of months would have contributed to the growth of the cricket population, which is the highest in the state's west and north-west.

Mr Honan said the crickets primarily fed off plant shoots but wouldn't cause any major headaches for local farmers.

The same can't be said for the house proud, who are likely to be facing an ongoing battle with the crickets until April.

Mr Honan said the crickets generally spend their days hiding in cracks in the soil, but are drawn to the bright lights of houses in the evenings.

"They can squeeze through very small spaces and they can certainly squeeze under your average front door," Mr Honan said.

"As a general rule, it's preferable to live with the

crickets instead of killing them with insecticides -- it's better not to use chemicals if we don't need to.

"Like with a lot of insects, the best way to deal with them is by keeping them out. You can use things like door sausages or flaps on the bottom of doors."

While the crickets may be a nuisance to some, their return to the town would be welcomed by many local species.

"A lot of birds rely on black field crickets to produce eggs or to rear young," Mr Honan said.

"So the more crickets around, the healthier the bird, reptile, and small mammal population are going to be."