Millions of Mormon cockroaches invaded a small town in the US state of Nevada, and these insects covered the town’s homes and roads, making it difficult to reach hospitals.
This phenomenon, which experts have confirmed to be normal, has been going on for days and is of concern to the residents of Elko, who number about 20,000.
Colette Reynolds informed CBS that they feel as though they are being overrun by bugs, to the point where it feels like it is raining inside the house.
Stephanie Garrett reported that bugs are crawling on the roads, which is causing her to feel uneasy and uncomfortable. She added that the situation is unpleasant.
Mormon crickets aren’t even crickets. They’re members of the katydid family. But they can’t fly. They also don’t bite or sting. But man, they’re hideous. pic.twitter.com/0UzZQy4cCI
— Lincoln Graves (@LincolnGraves) June 15, 2023
Residents had difficulty reaching hospitals due to the insects that spread on the roads.
“To get patients to the hospital, we had to send people around patients’ homes with brooms,” Steve Burrows of Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital told local KSLTV.
According to Jeff Knight, an entomologist at the Nevada Department of Agriculture, the swarms of insects are not unusual in the area but they have become more noticeable as more people move into wild areas.
To the dismay of Elko residents, there are limited options for getting rid of vermin.
Knight suggested using insecticides as one option to get rid of the insects in the area. Another option he mentioned was to do nothing and let the insects leave on their own.
