They're crickets, and the unrelenting hot and dry weather has brought hordes of them to Central, East and North Texas. Female crickets can lay from 150-400 eggs each time. The eggs are laid in the soil, with as many as three generations a year in southern areas. The massive population descending on Texas now is the second generation. The drought has enabled hatching nymphs to survive normally-lethal fungus and bacteria that accompany rainfall.
Crickets can damage ornamental and garden plants.
Inside homes and other buildings, they not only keep you awake with their lovesick chirruping, but can feed on fabrics, especially clothing stained with perspiration or food. Hoelscher suggested cleaning yard and garden areas to reduce cricket feeding and breeding sites. This includes destroying weeds and dense vegetation around homes and other buildings and removing piles of bricks, stones, wood and other debris where crickets may hide. Trash dumps also should be cleaned. Turning off outside lights at night also helps keep crickets away from buildings, and making sure all screens and doors fit tightly will help keep the pests out of the home.