Nevada is flooded with a wart – DN.SE

Grasshopper-like insects of the species Anabrus simplex have changed the cityscape in Elko and many other counties in Nevada in recent days. They are called “Mormon crickets” and they suddenly hatched in the millions rather late after the weather changed from an unusually rainy winter.

– I screamed and freaked out. Elko has this migration through town annually, but nothing like this ever. When we looked out our front door the entire wall was covered. It really scared me, Colette Reynolds tells the local TV station 2KUTV.

The Nevada entomologist says it’s unusual for insects to migrate in such an en masse way and he understands the local population’s reaction is strong. The sight is startling and elicits reactions of disgust and agony.

Massive sums It can also create real risks. Large crowds on the roads mean that cars run over them and smashed “Mormon crickets” cause the roads to slide, which is why the authorities plowed and sanded the roads in several places.

Anabrus simplex can grow to just over five centimeters in size and feeds mostly on plants, but it also has cannibalistic behaviour. Despite the name, they are not true cockroaches, but are actually warty cockroaches that have been causing problems for farmers in Nevada as recently as last year.

– It has gone so far that we have had to resort to leaf blowers and brooms just to get the sick to come. Steve Burroughs of Nevada Regional Hospital told a local Fox 5 Vegas.