LAS VEGAS, NV. (THECOUNT) — Massive swarms of grasshoppers have invaded Las Vegas this week, and it’s startling natives and vacationers alike.
The pallid-winged grasshopper, a common desert species, hasn’t shown up in these numbers since the middle ages.
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“It appears through history that when we have a wet winter or spring, these things build up often down below Laughlin and even into Arizona,” Jeff Knight, state entomologist with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, said Thursday. “We’ll have flights about this time of the year, migrations, and they’ll move northward,” reports Fox5SanDiego.
Nevada has seen more rain than usual this year. The state has averaged 9.94 inches of rain from January through June, nearly double the average of 5.92 inches, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It’s the third-wettest January to June on record for the state.
When the grasshopper population gets big, that also triggers the insects to move to a new area, he said.
The bugs are attracted to lights, specifically ultraviolet lights, Knight said. Bright white lights are their common hangout place.
If residents are worried or want to deter the bugs, they can install amber or low-UV lights. The bugs won’t hurt people, though.
Longtime resident, Jamie Bland put the invasion this way, “I’ve been here my entire life and I’ve never seen anything like it.”