Grasshopper swarms in Arizona can be unsettling but are harmless, bug collector says

As you’ve probably noticed, the recent surge in temperatures here in metro Phoenix has brought an attendant surge of grasshoppers.

We’ve seen reports around the region of people worrying about the massive number of bugs hopping around their gardens, yards, or, in my case, the lobby of my apartment building.

So — are they anything to worry about? And how long will it last?

The Show brought in someone who can explain it — Steve Miller, a pest control expert and bug collector.

Full conversation

STEVE MILLER: Hey, good morning. How are you doing?

SAM DINGMAN: I am doing well, my lobby infestation aside. So, Steve, tell us what these grasshoppers are and why they're here.

MILLER: Well, basically, it's a perfect storm. We had a really wet fall in Phoenix, and then we had a really early spring that got really hot really soon. So basically, it's basically the moisture in the ground let the eggs hatch, and then all the extra vegetation for them to eat is a perfect storm for them, really.

And with the hotter temperatures drying out the desert around the outskirts of Phoenix, they're kind of coming closer indoors, closer to the city where there's irrigation and greenery for them to feed on. So that's why we're seeing more of them around the city, for the most part.

DINGMAN: I see. OK. And you mentioned that they like to snack on vegetation, including in people's gardens, which I know is a concern for some.

Are they dangerous? Is there anything to worry about here? It can obviously be unsettling when you see a cluster of them kind of, you know, burst into midair when you take a step outside. But are they dangerous?

MILLER: They're not dangerous at all. They're kind of more beneficial for, like, the birds and the lizards who like to snack on them. So they're not poisonous or venomous or nothing like that. They're just, there's just an abundance of them right now. So nothing really to worry about right now.

DINGMAN: OK. That's good. For the bug-phobes in the listening audience, I include myself in that group, I imagine in your work in pest control, you must be getting a lot of calls to take care of the grasshoppers. How do you approach that? What's the best way to catch a grasshopper?

MILLER: So that's what, if you wanted to catch a grasshopper, there's really two ways to do it. I mean, you've got the obvious where if you're going out during the daytime, just grab a butterfly net and just go ahead and try to catch one in midair or on the ground if you're fast enough.

Or if you get a mercury vapor light bulb. They sell them at Home Depot. This is what I collect bugs with myself. And you can set them up at night time, and they're attracted to the lights, and you can just pick them off the ground if you really wanted to collect some.

DINGMAN: OK. And am I right, I mean, have you been getting an uptick in calls of people saying, "you gotta help me out. I'm drowning in grasshoppers here?"

MILLER: So I'm actually based in Sierra Vista. We are having a lot of them in Sierra Vista, but nothing on the number that you guys are getting up in Phoenix right now. So they're definitely abundant right now, though, all over the state.

DINGMAN: Well, can I ask you personally, Steve, I mean, I'm very interested in your story because you work in pest control, but you are also an insect enthusiast. You collect bugs, as you were just mentioning.

MILLER: I do, yes. I work for Brian the Bug Man. He's based in Pennsylvania. And I cover Arizona and California, mostly Phoenix and Tucson, where I bring my bug collection of birthday parties and day cares and church camps, you name it. Anywhere where there's kids who like bugs, basically.

And we educate the public about bugs, why they're, why they're good, why you should take care of them. Obviously, there's some bugs we don't want around the home, but the kids get to hold the bugs. They learn all about them, and it's a lot of fun. So, but I've been into bugs my whole life and actually grew up in England, but I came to the states in 2011.

And I came to Arizona for the climate, and there's a lot of cool bugs here, especially in Sierra Vista. So that's kind of why I'm down here.

DINGMAN: So what do you love about them? How did you fall in love with bugs?

MILLER: I don't really know. They're just so interesting to me. They're so alien-like. And there's so many different varieties of bugs. They're just really, it's always been my thing, you know, it's like this. I know I work in pest control, which means it sounds like I hate bugs, but in reality, I love bugs.

DINGMAN: Well, do those two things ever come into conflict? I mean, I imagine sometimes for work reasons, you are called upon to harm creatures that you personally have a great love for?

MILLER: So usually the beneficial bugs, like the praying mantises and, you know, the walking sticks and all the cool bugs that we get out here, I'll just bring a container with me and I'll just relocate it or take it home for my, for my bug shows.

DINGMAN: I guess everybody wins in that scenario.

MILLER: Yeah, for sure. You know, I mean, I get it. There's things like bedbugs and German cockroaches, which you really do not want in the home. So, yeah, I don't have any sympathy for those whatsoever, so.

DINGMAN: OK. So you do have limits.

MILLER: Yes.

DINGMAN: I imagine when you go to these birthday parties and stuff, you must encounter some kids who are very resistant, maybe even terrified at the idea of interacting with bugs. Looking at them up close, touching them. How do you help kids or even adults get over their phobias?

MILLER: So it's usually the kids that are less resistant to hold the bug. It's usually the parents that don't want to know. But once they see the kids holding the bugs, they kind of, they get a little bit of bravery in them. And then they'll go ahead and want to try holding say, a tarantula or a, you know, or a hissing cockroach or something that looks really scary.

But they realize that they're actually harmless. They're not, they're not there to hurt you. So that's, that's how they kind of learn to lose their fear of them for the most part.

DINGMAN: Interesting. And what would you say if you had to pick a favorite bug that you would like to evangelize here on the airwaves to people that they should maybe look to as a way of overcoming their own resistance? I don't know if you can tell I'm talking about myself here. Steve, what's your favorite bug and why should other people be interested in?

MILLER: It's going to be the praying mantis. They are just so cool. I mean, they're, they're just, they're harmless. They, they, they eat all the bad bugs. They're just really cool looking. They get pretty good sized. And that's always been my favorite bug, so.

DINGMAN: OK. All right. Well, I have been speaking with Steve Miller, who is a bug lover and a pest control expert, who, among other things, wants us to know that we have nothing to fear from the grasshoppers.