Swarms of Grasshoppers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are so massive that they appeared on the national weather radar, USA Today reported.
The grasshoppers have been a growing nuisance to local residents ever since they started appearing around Memorial Day. But it wasn't until Friday that National Weather Service meteorologists realized they were the cause of unknown, accumulating objects that were appearing on the NWS forecast radar.
"At first, there was some question about what it was," Albuquerque-based NWS meteorologist David Craft told USA Today.
Craft and his colleagues concluded that the gathering swarms were not rain like previously thought. The grasshoppers would appear on the radar and stay for hours at a time.
"Showers and thunderstorms come up and go down. They don't last long," Craft said.
The grasshoppers, though harmless, have caused an inconvenience for Albuquerque residents.
"When people are jogging or biking, they smack people in the face, and it can hurt," John Garlisch, from the educational outreach program Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service, told USA Today.
But the swarms pose a greater risk to plants in the area. Grasshoppers feast on plants belonging to melons, chilies and peppers, Garlisch told the newspaper. On top of that, using pesticides to get rid of the bugs is frowned upon because it will have no effect on future grasshoppers.
It is not yet known how many crops have been affected. Experts also don't know for sure how long the swarms will last.
The current grasshopper swarms were caused by severe rainfall at the end of 2013. The heavy precipitation caused a surplus of vegetables, thus supplying plenty of food for the grasshoppers, Paul Smith of the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department told USA Today.
But this is the largest grasshopper infestation in the last two decades, Smith said.
The grasshoppers are estimated to disappear in three weeks.
In the meantime, "catch them and go fishing," Garlisch told the newspaper. "Dip them in chocolate. Have fun with it."
