Millions of flightless insects known as Mormon cockroaches have descended upon Nevada, causing anxiety among residents and covering roads and buildings.
Thousands of Mormon crickets have taken over Elko City, Nevada, as these flightless, locust-like creatures emerge from their hibernation and enter their migration phase. pic.twitter.com/6ZxD7yoPIr
—CNN (@CNN) June 14, 2023
Footage shared on social media and local news outlets shows six Nevada counties as beetles move slowly and efficiently across the state in thick swarms. A Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital spokesperson told local news outlet KSL that a local hospital had to deploy brooms and leaf blowers to make way for patients to enter the building.
Not only do the beetles create a terrifying plague-like landscape, but they also make the roads dangerous when they appear in large numbers.
“Cockroaches can cover roads that could easily get slippery anyway,” Jeff Knight, an entomologist with the Nevada State Bureau of Agriculture, told KSL.
“The biggest problem is afternoon thunderstorms. If the road is wet and a little slippery, and even insects appear, it can cause problems. We have already had many incidents of crickets.”
