Over the past few weeks, the grasshopper population in Phoenix, AZ seems to have grown beyond belief. Such is the expansion of grasshoppers, it’s got locals discussing why they’re now so common – and what to do about them. Ironically, it just so happens that the overall insect population in the US is in decline. With this in mind, environmentalists amongst us will welcome the visit from our grasshopper friends!

Bizarrely, no one really knows why there’s been such an influx of grasshoppers either. However, in the big scheme of things it’s nothing to worry about and is probably a small environmental anomaly rather than anything of serious concern. As seen in the video below, they can be a bit annoying though due to their sheer numbers.

Locals were quick to point out that this isn’t the first pest invasion in the area either. Over the years, Phoenix has also had summers filled with caterpillars and crickets. Some even claimed to prefer grasshoppers over crickets due to the scorpions that the latter brings. Elsewhere, others claimed that pet hens would easily depose of grasshoppers who provided them with a tasty snack.

Whilst this phenomenon has been going on for a few weeks now, the chances are that the grasshoppers will leave when the temperature cools down. Until then, we’ll have to learn to live with them and hope that they ‘hop’ away at some point.