'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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.