Swarms of grasshoppers invade Las Vegas: "Everybody was going crazy"

A migration of mild-mannered grasshoppers sweeping through the Las Vegas area is being attributed to wet weather several months ago. The insects are harmless but tourists were stunned by what some are calling the "Great Grasshopper Invasion of 2019."

"It was crazy. We didn't even want to walk through there. Everybody was going crazy," Diana Rodriquez told CBS affiliate KLAS-TV. "We were wondering like what's going on."

One video showed shows thousands of grasshoppers descending on the Las Vegas Strip, the station reported.

Nevada state entomologist Jeff Knight told reporters the number of adult pallid-winged grasshoppers traveling north to central Nevada is unusual but not unprecedented and they pose no danger. Knight says the insects don't carry disease, don't bite, and probably won't damage anybody's yard before they're gone in several weeks. He says they're usually attracted to ultraviolet light sources.

Knight recalls several similar migrations in his more than 30 years at the state Department of Agriculture, including one about six or seven years ago. This year, the Las Vegas area recorded more rain in six months than the annual average of just under 4.2 inches per year.