Content
Grasshoppers Invade Utah Ski Resorts 02-07-09
Millions of grasshoppers have invaded Utah’s ski resorts, with those near Salt Lake City worst affected. It is not unusual for grasshoppers to inhabit the area of this time of the year, though recent weather conditions have invited the insects in unusually large numbers. The grasshoppers are said to have been attracted by the very wet late winter storms which followed a period of dry weather, creating ideal conditions for the insects.
An area of 250,000 square miles is affected, with locals reporting as many as 2,000 grasshoppers per square foot in the worst affected areas. Pesticides and poisons have been sprayed but do not appear to be working, as the insects continue to grow in numbers as well as in size.
The presence of the insects has also resulted in an increased number of seagulls in the area. The state’s official bird – dating back from when they ate colonies of crickets threatening the original settles’ food supplies in 1949 – eat the grasshoppers and are thus being welcomed by locals.
