'It's like a horror movie': Hordes of grasshoppers invade Lethbridge, Alta. neighbourhood
The recent hot and dry conditions blanketing southern Alberta have paved the way for the biggest surge in grasshoppers in recent memory.
For one neighbourhood in west Lethbridge, the insects have been popping up in droves over the past two weeks, and things are only getting worse.
"If we don't laugh about it, I feel like we're all just going to cry about it," said Paige Thornborough, a Copperwood resident who has lived in the area for roughly five years.
"It's like a horror movie. It's horrible. When you go on the sidewalk on this side of the street even, there are swarms of them."
Normally, Paige and her husband Dylan would be spending much of their summer in their backyard playing with their two young daughters. But not this year.
"It's hurting the kids the most not being able to play in our yard. Just with COVID and not being able to see other kids much for so long, it's pretty frustrating for them now that they can't even play in their our back yard," said Dylan Thornborough.
For the Thornboroughs, the army of grasshoppers that's taken over their lawn is unexpected and beyond annoying.
"We used to spend all day every day out in the back barbecuing, eating outside, the kids had a pool, a Slip 'n Slide and we're not able to utilize any of the space anymore. We just can't stand being out here."
The problem is much more widespread than just one family. An entire block is seeing waves of grasshoppers hop from house to house.
The community is built on the edge of a dryland farm that has been devastated by this year's scorching conditions.
Seeing as there will be little to no crop yield on that farm this year, it doesn't make much financial sense to spray insecticides to keep the grasshoppers at bay which means, the insects are running rampant.
"It started off as only like three on the trampoline and then they multiplied so quickly," said Hudson Turchyn, a 10 year-old who's lived on the block for more than five years.
"We just planted two plots of garden in our back yard and like, all the leaves are gone. They just ate it all. It's crazy."
Some of the kids in the neighbourhood were having a fun time trying to catch the grasshoppers before things were kicked into high gear, but not anymore.
"As soon as you walk outside it's just like grasshopper town," said 12 year old Olivia Burrows.
"I have been a little bit spooked out. It's pretty gross."
Handfuls of residents have taken it upon themselves to spray their property with pesticides and other chemicals, but those solutions have only lasted for a short period of time before the grasshoppers come bouncing back in droves.
"It's starting to feel a little bit hopeless in terms of solutions or I guess, ways that we can manage the problem. It's starting to feel very much overwhelming," said Paige Thornborough.
This isn't the first time the region's grasshopper population has surged and according to some farmers with experience dealing with the pesky bugs, this year's dry conditions could mean that southern Albertans will be dealing with swarms of grasshoppers for the next couple years.
The City of Lethbridge says they're aware of the situation, and their trying to work on a solution, but local pest control companies say unfortunately, there's not much that can be done to clean up the neighbourhood.
At this point, the only hope is for the weather to take a turn and cool down dramatically or rain for a few straight days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.