Las Vegas is hit by huge swarm of grasshoppers, sickening local residents frightened of the creepy crawlies
Las Vegas residents have reported sightings of locusts flying through the city, leaving many shocked.
Locals have said they have seen ‘swarms’ of flying insects in the city – reminiscent of the massive locust invasion of 2019.
Vegas native Asher Lewis, who spotted the buzzing creepy crawlies, said, “I see them everywhere. I don’t know how often they come or how long it’s been happening. But this is the third time I’ve seen them.
“2019 was nasty. So when I saw them for a few days, I thought they were coming back.”
Although Jeff Knight, an entomologist with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, previously confirmed in an interview that the insects do not transmit disease or even bite humans, many remain terrified after the pre-pandemic plague.
He told 8NewsNow that the insects often overwhelm him as he drives through town and sees hundreds of them on his way home late at night in the central valley.
Another passing Vegas resident @gottagosoon on X said he noticed the locusts had come closer to town while he was out with his dog last night.
‘Oh Gadver. Tonight I went outside barefoot to let my dog pee. It turns out the locusts have moved in within the last hour. I can’t describe the sounds/feelings. I love #lasvegassummers.”
While Jeff Knight, an entomologist with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, previously confirmed this in a interview Because the insects do not transmit disease or even bite humans, many remain terrified after the pre-pandemic plague.
In mid-July 2019, people in Las Vegas noticed locusts filling the sky at night.
Las Vegas residents have reported sightings of locusts flying through the city, leaving many shocked
Every day the numbers grew, peaking on July 27 to a staggering scale that locals called it “the great locust invasion of 2019.”
To learn more about the night of the locusts, researchers obtained data from weather stations around Las Vegas and the archives of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They observed a cloud that resembled a thunderstorm appearing on radar screens around and over the city of Las Vegas.
The radar data (the size and density of the clouds) and locust data (their average size and weight) were then used to calculate the number of locusts that appeared that night.
Residents have noticed the insects along the strip and in other parts of the Nevada city, but experts said people should not be alarmed by their presence
Vegas native Asher Lewis, who spotted the buzzing creepy crawlies, said, “I see them everywhere. I don’t know how often they come or how long it’s been happening
The data showed that on the peak night, the number of locusts was about 46 million, which the researchers estimated would weigh about 30 tons.
It also showed that the densest locust clouds were concentrated over the brightest parts of the city.
Las Vegas is known for its huge, bright neon signs, which attract visitors and their money. In this case, however, it appears that the bright lights attracted the locusts.
It is still not clear why the insects gathered in such numbers that fateful night, but local weather reporters noted that the previous winter had been unusually wet.
The researchers noted that the insects seemed to enter the city during the day, landing and settling on every available surface – only after the sun set and the bright lights came on did the locusts take to the air.
They concluded that such behavior by the locusts is sufficient evidence of the impact that artificial light can have on insect behavior.