Las Vegas invaded by massive swarm of grasshoppers

Nevada's entomologist assured people that the grasshoppers would continue their migration and leave Las Vegas area within the next two or three weeks.

JULY 28, 2019 13:09

Juvenile Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers (photo credit: FLICKR) — Juvenile Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers

(photo credit: FLICKR)

A massive swarm of grasshoppers has been plaguing Las Vegas, Nevada, with footage that makes it look like a scene from the Book of Exodus.

A migration of mild-mannered grasshoppers has put residents and tourists of the "gambling and entertainment capital" into a panic as massive swarms of the insects plagued the city's streets – and are expected to keep doing so for the next two weeks, before they migrate onward.

The Las Vegas National Weather Service shared footage on Twitter of a radar that is tasked with marking biological targets, showing a large mass of thermal activity within the city, clearly marking the swarms of grasshoppers.

Some of you have been asking about the widespread radar returns the past few nights in #Vegas. Radar analysis suggests most of these echoes are biological targets. This typically includes birds, bats, and bugs, and most likely in our case--> Grasshoppers. #VegasWeather pic.twitter.com/reQX7hJR7Y
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) July 27, 2019

Jeff Knight, Nevada's Department of Agriculture state entomologist, told media reporters that the swarm of insects is unusual, but certainly not unprecedented, explaining that the winter rains are the reason behind the insects' migration to that area. He also assured peoplr that the grasshoppers pose no danger to humans, and there is a very low chance that they will damage any property.

Knight also assured that the grasshoppers would leave the Las Vegas area and continue their migration within the next two or three weeks.

What happens in Vegas, definitely can stay in Vegas! #GrasshopperInvasion pic.twitter.com/rH144Izbig
— Steve Glazier (@SteveGlazier) July 27, 2019

The grasshoppers came out to play overnight! Viewers sent in their video of grasshopper swarms from around the Las Vegas Valley Thursday night. Have you seen them in your neighborhood?WHY grasshoppers are invading the valley: https://t.co/DSSz72ZLwH pic.twitter.com/oJkLdujqNr
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) July 26, 2019

The footage and reports made many Las Vegas residents recall the Book of Exodus, specifically the plagues of Egypt. Travis Herzog, Chief Meteorologist at ABC13, asked: "Did anyone happen to spot Moses shouting something to Pharaoh in front of that pyramid on the Las Vegas Strip?"

Did anyone happen to spot Moses shouting something to Pharaoh in front of that pyramid on the Las Vegas Strip? I see there are millions of grasshoppers in the area... #GrasshopperInvasion #GrasshopperPlagueVIDEO: https://t.co/ySfvvPZB4O pic.twitter.com/kJpwmW3vfC
— Travis Herzog (@TravisABC13) July 27, 2019

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Other Las Vegas residents looked for any possible solution, remembering grasshoppers as the villains in Walt Disney and Pixar's "A Bug's Life," when they shared pictures of the movie's heroes as the only possible comic solution to the grasshopper invasion.