Las Vegas Hit With An Unholy Plague Of Grasshoppers -- See The Disturbing Invasion!

Las Vegas did not hit the jackpot when it came to unwanted visitors this summer.

Locals have been hit with an invasion of grasshoppers over the past few days, with sidewalks and windows covered in blankets of the sprightly insects. 

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Footage of the infestation has gone viral, showing tourists trying to make it through what looks one of the final plagues of Egypt. Ch-ch-check it out (below).

Like we said, v apocalyptic.

But seeing as the Bellagio fountains haven’t turned into blood (yet), an angry God *probably* isn’t behind this calamity.

So, why is Sin City crawling with these bugs?

Jeff Knight, the entomologist for Nevada’s Agriculture Department, held an impromptu press conference on Thursday to set the record straight, telling alarmed locals that the infestation is due to an unseasonably wet winter and spring in the region.

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Knight explained the particularly wet seasons earlier this year led to a “build up” of pallid-winged grasshoppers in Southern Nevada and Arizona, which caused the desert dwellers to migrate north to find new stomping (or… hopping?) grounds. He said:

“When we have a wet winter or spring, these things build up. A lot of times, when populations get too big, it triggers the insects to move to find new areas… The ones that started down probably in Laughlin or southern Nevada, or even Arizona, are the ones that are moving up to central Nevada. So a couple hundred miles.”

Knight added that, while it seems like fresh hell for Sin City, these hoppers have visited the Strip a handful of times over the past 50 years.

The agriculture expert said that although the scene looks like something straight out of a horror movie, people shouldn’t be scared of the hoppers because they’re harmless to humans, adding:

“They don’t carry any diseases. They don’t bite. They’re not even one of the species that we consider a problem. They probably won’t cause much damage in a yard.”

The hoppers will probably mate during their Vegas pit stop, but Knight said conditions in the city “aren’t right” for any eggs to make it to hatching season this fall.

Residents will only have to put up with the unwelcome visitors for a few weeks, when Knight estimates they’ll hop out of town and continue north. 

In the meantime, locals can impede the insects by switching off ultraviolet lights outside and replace them with a low UV or amber light instead. Or, you can “just scare them out of the way,” Knight suggests.

Maybe also keep a lookout for boils and frogs… just in case!

[Image via KTNV]