‘A scourge of the Earth’: grasshopper swarms overwhelm US west

The drought has created ideal conditions for grasshopper eggs to hatch and for the insatiable eaters to survive into adulthood

They're arriving in swarms so dense it can appear the earth is moving. They're covering roads and fields, pelting ATV riders, and steadily devouring grains and grass to the bedevilment of farmers and ranchers.

A massive population of grasshoppers is proliferating in the sweltering American west, where a deep drought has made for ideal conditions for grasshopper eggs to hatch and survive into adulthood.