Fox News Flash top headlines for July 4
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
The western United States, already stricken by a severe drought, now has plague of grasshoppers to contend with.
Agriculture officials have launched the largest grasshopper-killing campaign since the 1980s as the insects strip an already ravaged land. The swarms are so dense they cover roads and pelt bicyclists.
The population normally remains in check, but the prolonged drought has created ideal conditions for the insects to thrive. Most grasshoppers normally die off before reaching adulthood due to pathogens, severe winters and starvation. Dry winters, however, have helped the bugs survive and multiply, according to the Guardian.
BROOD X CICADAS ARE GONE: WHEN WILL THEY REEMERGE?
"They’re everywhere," Frank Wierderrick, a Montana native, told the Los Angeles Times. "Drought and grasshoppers go together, and they are cleaning us out."
The shift in weather patterns means that such outbreaks could increasingly become the status quo.
BEFORE AN ASTEROID WIPED THEM OUT, DINOSAURS WERE ALREADY IN DECLINE: STUDY
The aggressive pest-control has alarmed environmentalists who say that the efforts will end up killing more than just grasshoppers, including some endangered or struggling species.
"We’re talking about natural areas being sprayed," said Sharon Selvaggio, a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. "This is not cropland."
RESEARCH SHIP WORKS TO PREDICT THE NEXT ‘BIG ONE’ AS WEST COAST OVERDUE FOR EARTHQUAKE
Oregon and Montana have seen the worst of the infestation, with 13 other states facing similar damage. Agricultural losses due to grasshoppers could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Helmuth Rogg, an entomologist and agricultural scientist with Oregon's agriculture department.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"They eat and eat from the day they get born until the day they die," Rogg said. "That’s all they do."
True Crime
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
