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Joeman
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July 26th, 2019 at 6:37:45 PM permalink
I just came across this one.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/26/us/grasshoppers-invade-las-vegas-scn-trnd/index.html

Just making sure y'all are doing OK out there.

Quote: CNN

Massive swarms of grasshoppers have descended upon Las Vegas this week, and it's startling some residents.

Is anyone startled?
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ams288
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MrCasinoGames
July 26th, 2019 at 7:24:43 PM permalink
Last night in front of Casino Royale it was insane. They were swarming around the lights. People couldn't even walk on the sidewalk, they were walking in the road on the strip to avoid them.

Then this morning I walked by again and there was some poor security guard literally shoveling piles of dead ones off the sidewalk.

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rxwine
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July 26th, 2019 at 7:34:33 PM permalink
Are they good eating?
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gordonm888
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July 26th, 2019 at 8:05:43 PM permalink
In East Tennessee we are dealing with a swarm of either locusts or cicadas. They are enormous, about 4" long and about 1.5-2" in circumference.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
billryan
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July 27th, 2019 at 2:04:17 AM permalink
My dog just ran into a swarm of them while off leash behind our dog park.. He is big and shaggy and went to find some mesquite leaves when he must have walked into a sleeping herd because one second he was fine and the next he was going nuts and it looked like he was engulfed in black smoke.
When I realized what was happening, I thought he had spooked a nest of wasps and was in big trouble but a few landed on me and thankfully they were crickets or grasshoppers. Dozens of them got stuck in his fur and I had to brush them out. I probably missed a few.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
billryan
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July 27th, 2019 at 2:15:11 AM permalink
Whatever these things are, it seems most of them fly . Grasshoppers in NY don't fly, as far as I know, but I've never seen a swarm of them before. I hope they move along.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
RS
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July 27th, 2019 at 2:30:17 AM permalink
Drove to a saloon and was in my car for a few minutes before going in, was checking something on my phone IIRC. Anyway, I got out of the car and as soon as I closed my door, thousands if not millions of those bastards decided it was time to unleash all hell on me and I ran away like a little b**** because I don’t like bugs or insects or whatever them things are.
FleaStiff
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July 27th, 2019 at 4:25:23 AM permalink
Quote: billryan

Whatever these things are, it seems most of them fly . Grasshoppers in NY don't fly, as far as I know, but I've never seen a swarm of them before. I hope they move along.

It takes energy and it dehydrates them to fly, sort of like roaches.
often the pheromones of a blooming flower will set the grasshoppers to swarm and eat everything they can. population control for the grasshoppers and aids the flowers by removing food that would otherwise allow browsing animals to eat the flowers.
This is merely a rest stop on thier migration northward.
Last edited by: FleaStiff on Jul 27, 2019
gordonm888
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July 27th, 2019 at 6:45:31 AM permalink
Maybe the swarm of grackles from the Wizard's "What kind of birds are these?" will fly from Texas to Vegas and intersect with the swarm of grasshoppers in this thread.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
unJon
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July 27th, 2019 at 7:48:19 AM permalink
Quote: gordonm888

Maybe the swarm of grackles from the Wizard's "What kind of birds are these?" will fly from Texas to Vegas and intersect with the swarm of grasshoppers in this thread.




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DRich
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July 27th, 2019 at 7:51:13 AM permalink
My new puppy is enjoying chasing the grasshoppers in the yard. He spends hours at a time just trying to catch and eat as many as he can.
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FleaStiff
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July 27th, 2019 at 8:40:54 AM permalink
He thinks they are invaders and that he is protecting his turf and protecting you.
Gialmere
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July 27th, 2019 at 9:32:43 AM permalink
It's pretty widespread. I work at the edge of the Mojave in California and have noticed a big uptic in grasshoppers over the last week before seeing the Vegas swarm on the news. And while we're not dealing with biblical plague numbers like sin city, I have had to roll up my windows a few times to keep them from getting in and ping ponging around my vehicle interior.
Have you tried 22 tonight? I said 22.
billryan
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July 27th, 2019 at 10:05:01 AM permalink
I just hope they move on.
Long Island used to get a Canadian Geese migration twice a year. They'd stop over for a couple of days heading south in the fall and a short stop going north in the spring. One spring, horrendous weather caused several flocks to stay an extended period and many chose to stay and nest. Birds instinctively return to where they were born so the next year, many nested there rather than fly another couple hundred miles north.
Thirty years later, we have a terrible geese problem. Hope this doesn't repeat itself here.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
MaxPen
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July 27th, 2019 at 10:19:16 AM permalink
Who knows? Maybe some hot sauce a little ranch or bleu cheese. Some people might start looking forward to a regular migration. Can't be any worse than a $1 store ribeye.

Ayecarumba
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July 27th, 2019 at 11:36:20 AM permalink
I think the wildflower “superbloom” in California’s desert that followed the record rain laid the eggs for this swarm.

Are locusts and grasshoppers the same insect just in different parts of the country, like “pop” and “soda”?
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FleaStiff
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July 27th, 2019 at 11:50:59 AM permalink
Quote: Ayecarumba

Are locusts and grasshoppers the same insect just in different parts of the country, like “pop” and “soda”?

Sort of, its like cockroaches and termites. Change the environment and sets of genes change.
The Everglades just osted some giant grasshoppers.
billryan
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July 27th, 2019 at 12:59:56 PM permalink
Only live ones I saw today were in my car and must have been on my dog. Not many dead ones either, the birds had a feast. I heard our pool opened late as there was a layer of dead bugs that were end to end.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
AxelWolf
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July 27th, 2019 at 2:04:27 PM permalink
I'm not getting that many near my place. I wish I was cuz I could just feed them to my Turtles and they would love it.
♪♪Now you swear and kick and beg us That you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas With a handle in your hand♪♪ Your black cards can make you money So you hide them when you're able In the land of casinos and money You must put them on the table♪♪ You go back Jack do it again roulette wheels turinin' 'round and 'round♪♪ You go back Jack do it again♪♪
Gialmere
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May 19th, 2020 at 2:14:44 PM permalink
This story happened last July. It's now only mid-May but once again I'm noticing an uptick of grasshoppers where I live. It would be bizarre if Sin City reopened from the virus only to have another swarm descend on it. I'm not a religious man, but I'd have to wonder.
Have you tried 22 tonight? I said 22.
rxwine
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May 19th, 2020 at 2:20:12 PM permalink
Quote: Gialmere

This story happened last July. It's now only mid-May but once again I'm noticing an uptick in grasshoppers where I live. It would be bizarre if Sin City reopened from the virus only to have another swarm descend on it. I'm not a religious man, but I'd have to wonder.



I don't know that they always go through Vegas, but I saw great swarms of them years ago in northern Nevada. Perhaps word got out that there are plenty of available rooms.
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
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