Towns and pastoral stations in Western Australia's central Kimberley have been invaded by swarms of locusts attracted by the summer rain.

While the pest is endemic to the area, they do not usually frequent in such large numbers and locals have said the swarm is worse than previous years.

Halls Creek's town centre has been among the areas targeted by the unwelcome visitors this week as thousands of they yellow-winged critters swarm the area's parks, gardens and properties.

The WA Department of Agriculture and Food said large swarms do not happen every season however numbers can build up due to seasonal weather changes.

The pests have mainly proven problematic for nearby pastoral stations that grow feed for their cattle.

Locusts have infested irrigated fodder crops at Gogo station, taking a heavy toll on their sorghum varieties.

Development manager Phillip Hams said there were more grasshoppers than last year but hoped they would leave soon.

"They certainly chew it down, no question about that ... but that can be overcome by spraying," he said.

"Not only Gogo but elsewhere, they certainly have an impact."

Drivers in the area have been advised to keep a bottle of water ready to wash spattered windscreens.

Meanwhile, researchers at Murdoch University are trying to find a way to manage the locusts in a more environmentally-friendly way than pesticides, before they multiply to such large numbers.

Dr Wei Xu has been developing a product to lure the locust away from crops by using its own odour, allowing the swarms to be trapped and then destroyed.

"It's more environmentally friendly because it's their product and also we can use it for diagnostics," he said.

"If we detect this chemical in a high density in some area, it will tell [us] there is already a high population of locusts in this area," he said.