It may look like something out of the Biblical plagues of Revelation, but an infestation of millions of so-called Mormon crickets is currently a reality for at least six counties in Nevada. And although the bugs—which are actually a species of flightless katydid—are technically harmless, that's of little consolation to disgusted residents.
"They’re just gross,” Elko, Nevada resident Precious Drake told Utah's KSL-TV 5 News. “They look like spiders, and they poop everywhere."
The insects, which can grow up to three inches long, have a four-to-six-year life cycle. That makes them right on track to surface, as the last infestation occurred in the area in 2019. Having gotten their name from plaguing the Mormon settlers that pushed westward in the 1800s, the crickets prefer drought conditions and have the ability to quickly decimate crops.
🦗 Millions of Mormon crickets descended upon six counties in Nevada, creating a bug invested nightmare for many residents. pic.twitter.com/nSYKzfi3Sj
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) June 12, 2023
Cool and wet conditions this spring have resulted in just a few small isolated infestations in Utah this year. But drought conditions and warming temperatures in the western United States have generally caused infestations to worsen.
They can also migrate up to a mile a day, and the speed in which they move is believed to be due to the threat of cannibalism from nutrient-deprived crickets approaching from the rear. However, this also causes build-ups of crickets, which can pose both a nuisance and safety hazard.
“Just to get patients into the hospital we had people out there with leaf blowers, with brooms," said Steve Burrows, director of community relations at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital. "At one point we even had a tractor with a snowplow on it just to push the piles of crickets and move them on their way."
The masses of crickets can also create dangerous conditions on roadways, as Jeff Knight, a Nevada Department of Agriculture entomologist, explained.
“They get run over, two or three come out and eat their buddy and they get run over and the roads can get covered with crickets and they can get slick,” Knight said. "The bigger issue is these afternoon thunderstorms and put a little water on that and it gets slick, we’ve had a number of accidents caused by crickets."
To combat the hazard, the Nevada Department of Transportation will sometimes employ sand or snowplows to clean up the mess.
But there is good news for Nevada residents dealing with the bugs—they should disappear as quickly as they appeared, and are expected to pass through the are in three to six days.
"I do sympathize with people because it is overwhelming to have these kinds of populations, but will go away," Knight added.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/u5jfwvy
0 comments