An invasion of millions of grasshoppers descended on Las Vegas this week and experts believe the swarm could hang around for weeks.
The migration of grasshoppers that have taken over the Strip and several of the city’s most popular tourist spots is being attributed to unusual wet weather several months ago.
The powerful light beam that shines nightly from the Luxor hotel and casino’s 30-storey pyramid has proved to be a magnet for the winged creatures.
Nevada state entomologist Jeff Knight told reporters the number of adult pallid-winged grasshoppers travelling north to central Nevada is unusual but not unprecedented and they do not pose any danger.
“They don’t bite. They don’t sting. People don’t like them. That’s understandable,” he said.
Grasshoppers are drawn to ultraviolet light, he added.
Mr Knight recalled 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.
Nancy Ryan, a comic who hosts the X Burlesque show at the Flamingo hotel on the Strip, posted a video taken by her husband, a comedian who performs as John Bizarre, of a swarm outside the resort.
“John took this video outside the flamingo just now. It’s not snowing. It’s grasshoppers,” she wrote.
