TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It’s hard not to bug out, especially if you’re Florida homeowner David Coleman, who’s had to live with hundreds of giant orange grasshoppers hopping around in his yard in San Carlos Park.
“They’re bright orange. They got big eyes. They got long legs,” Coleman told NBC affiliate WBBH. “They’re a little creepy.”
Coleman told the news outlet he’s been dealing with the grasshoppers ever since they appeared on his lawn a few weeks ago. Since then, they’ve multiplied by the day.
“You take a step and they’re jumping around everywhere,” Coleman said. “In one day probably 500. I’m not even kidding!”
The homeowner said he was stumped after his attempts at using pesticides didn’t work.
WBBH spoke with Joyce Fassbender, an expert in insect and spider biodiversity at FGCU, who identified the insects as Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers. She said the bugs are native to Florida and can lay up to 50 eggs underground.
Because the species breaks down toxins, Fassbender said that insect spray isn’t the best way to kill them.
If you don’t want to kill them individually and you have a big infestation, there are baits designed to attract them and help lower their population.
