‘Biblical' swarm of grasshoppers descends on Queensland road
The horrific moment a swarm of grasshoppers smashed against a motorist's windscreen has been caught on camera.
The gut-wrenching vision was snapped along a rural road in Laglan, Queensland, late last month.
In what looks like a scene from a horror movie, thousands of grasshoppers can be seen cascading down the drivers windshield and blocking the view of te road.
The chilling footage was captured by local Mark Suhr, who said that 'millions' of the insects were 'destroying thousands of hectares of grassland of beef-producing country.'
In a statement, a Department of Primary Industries (DPI) spokesperson said properties in Queensland's Central Highlands, Isaac and Barcaldine areas had reported locust activity in the past six weeks.
The large herbivorous insects are considered a major pest in agriculture as they can breed quickly into swarms.
Bertie Hennecke, chair of the Australian Plague Locust Commission (APLC), said that the grasshopper population could increase to plague proportions if conditions like good rain and healthy vegetation continue in the next few months.
'With ideal conditions, the migratory locust can build up three-to-five generations,' Professor Hennecke told the ABC.
'You need quite a few generations to build up to get a plague situation.'
A DPI spokesperson said the department reacted to reports in the shortest time possible, but recent flooding in western Queensland had made access difficult at some locations.
'The management of locusts in Queensland is primarily the responsibility of landowners as part of their general biosecurity obligation,' the spokesperson told the outlet.
Last year, the world was stunned after unthinkable vision from the US captured by the distressed residents of Elko, Nevada, revealed the nightmare they had been living in.
The bugs, known as Mormon crickets, resemble fat grasshoppers and are known to appear in parts of the western United States.
They can swarm a place in massive clusters that will completely take over the side of a building or an entire section of road.
In one horrifying clip shared online, the brown creatures can be seen covering the wall of a building with a dark, thick layer of twitching bugs.
'Another day of walking into work to see this,' the caption read, as the camera pans across the unbelievable sight.
'I am not exaggerating when I say, I either work from home, or I quit!' one commented.
'I thought cicadas were bad in Australia but I've never seen this before...' an Aussie shared.
'I'd call the cops!' said another.
The insects caused absolute mayhem across the state, where officials confirmed that they had even caused multiple crashes on the interstate highway.
Local media have reported one fatality from a collision in the area, however it is not clear is this was also caused by the insects.
It can be very hard to predict how big the swarms will be and depends on a variety of environmental factors including late-season snowfall and certain temperatures.
Large populations of the insects pose a concern, not just when they are crushed, but live ones pose a significant threat to local crops.
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Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- Courier-Mail
Backyard takeover: Homeowner wins epic five-month battle
A five-month backyard battle has ended for a pair of shocked Aussie first home buyers, but the uneasy peace in their new neighbourhood has a hidden twist that has some on edge. The couple cautiously bought their first home in about nine months ago, wary of it having an 'absolute monstrosity' in the backyard – towering more than 20m and some 'as thick as my leg', but felt they could handle it. Now five months later, an uneasy peace is in place as they watch for fresh shoots. MORE: Cash-strap student turns $40k to 38 homes Palaszczuk scores insane 684 per cent return on Brisbane property MORE: Tradie's colossal 5.5m find in Aus backyard Million-dollar shock: Most Aussies now priced out of house market The 'absolute monstrosity' in this case is bamboo out in their new backyard which had overrun not just their entire backyard, but had put neighbours off-side – blocking sunlight from nearby houses with its leaves also littering gutters and backyards all around it. Some observers said there was so much bamboo he could 'build a bridge or skyscraper with it. A couple of knots with string and you could make a 6 storey building'. The new homeowner said they assessed the situation before purchase and found it was a clumping, not running, type of bamboo – which means they had a shot at removal, taking a massive 22 weeks to rid the neighbourhood of it. 'Well after about a day a week since Christmas we finally cut the last piece down,' the homeowner said. 'Some were 20m + and as thick as my leg. Now to find an excavator to dig it all up.' '+1 to having awesome neighbours who let us take down the fence and have full side access via their property the whole time,' the homeowner said. 'Wouldn't have been able to do it without that so we are very grateful. Although they are just as stoked it's gone themselves.' But that's not going to last long, others warned, saying removing the top is the easy part over for the couple – with much more vigilance and brutality required to make sure it's not going to be causing more damage in future. MORE: Shock twist as former Virgin CEO to tear down $17m mansion Inside slumlord's crumbling empire: derelict, unliveable, worth millions One who had the same thing around horse stables, said the rhizomes were a nightmare to remove: 'ohhh my heavens!!!! Could you get a smallish bulldozer in, to lift what's left, out of the ground?? I really want you to win this war, cause that's what it is!'. Another warned: 'Don't look now, but there are probably 20 shoots coming up amongst all that. In two weeks, they'll be a metre tall or coming up in your neighbour's yard. Ask me how I know'. Among the advice dished out was that 'unless you get weed killer on the cut within about 10 seconds, the wound has self-sealed and the herbicide is useless'. The homeowner was very aware of the challenge to come though: 'yeah saw that online so we pretty much sprayed each shoot the second we cut it. Seemed to work quite well. Within a week they'd lost all colour and gone hard. If we missed one it was back in days.' The challenge is so overwhelming for some homeowners that they've even sold up and moved elsewhere bamboo-free: 'I had a big clump of bamboo something like that at a house I once owned. Took about six months of hard yakka cutting it, digging out roots with a pick axe etc. Got to the point where I had it not quite totally eliminated, but well controlled, then I sold and bought elsewhere.' MORE: Inside new Liberal leader's property portfolio How NRL stars are banking an off-field fortune An arborist chimed in saying 'we cut down / kill bamboo clumps and other hard to kill plants almost every day. It definitely works just takes a few months with some species of bamboo. There are other chemicals that are more effective but you don't want that — the good thing about roundup is it's only just strong enough to kill things. You don't want to salt the earth — presumably one day you'll plant something else there. Roundup will allow that.' Digging up the mass underground had three solutions the arborist said: cut the stump/roots away with a mattock once it's dried, wait longer then use a shovel or hire a stump grinder if you want it gone quick. 'Just beware if you hit a rock or metal, the stump grinder could have to be repaired. That's the main reason stump grinding companies are so expensive. If you hire a grinder and DIY the job, they'll check for damage and the bill will be really high if you've hit anything.' Others have suggested just brutalising it with an excavator instead: 'I had some in my backyard but most were only 15-30mm thick. After cutting them down to ground level I used a 1.7t excavator with teeth on the bucket and it did alright. Would probably recommend a 2.7t if you have the access and use a ripper. Do all the hard work sitting down.' Not everyone agreed with the homeowner's choice to tear it down, with one playing devil's advocate to say 'landscape designers pay big dollars for mature specimens like that. Clumping bamboo is the best type of bamboo you can have'. 'They need to be pruned and maintained so people don't become overwhelmed and insecure. Now you've lost all that wonderful shade and windbreak. Oh well. It's your property. It's your Castle. You can do what you want. I just thought I'd put it out there for the bamboo lovers who are probably in tears.' Those bamboo lovers agreed it looked better before it was cut down, saying it 'makes the most serene sounds in the wind', 'we have two sides very happily privatised with clumping Nepalese Blue' and 'it looked good… now it looks sh*t'. The homeowner stuck to his guns though, saying 'the whole neighbourhood was sick of the leaves going everywhere and filling everyone's gutters. It killed everything around it. And our house is now full of natural light. It won't be getting left as it currently is. nice fence, Tropical garden and a pool going in.' GUIDE FOR AUSSIE HOMEOWNERS What not to plant Bamboo Golden cane palm Gum tree (large species) Common fig Lilly pilly (large species) Umbrella tree (an environmental weed in this area) West African tulip (this a Class 3 weed) Pine tree Poinciana Jacaranda Broad – leafed paperbark Weeping paperbark Mango tree Coral tree Willow (all types) (this a Class 3 weed) Camphor Laurel (this a Class 3 weed) Wisteria Black bean What to plant Directly above or up to 1.5m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Blue flax lily Tall sedge Spiny-headed mat-rush Common tussock grass Kangaroo grass Common hovea Between 1.5m and 3m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Austral indigo Dogwood Dwarf banksia Hairy bush pea Sweet wattle Woombye bush Broad – leaved palm lily More than 3m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Blueberry ash Plum myrtle Peanut tree MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS
Mercury
2 days ago
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Backyard takeover: Homeowner wins epic five-month battle
A five-month backyard battle has ended for a pair of shocked Aussie first home buyers, but the uneasy peace in their new neighbourhood has a hidden twist that has some on edge. The couple cautiously bought their first home in about nine months ago, wary of it having an 'absolute monstrosity' in the backyard – towering more than 20m and some 'as thick as my leg', but felt they could handle it. Now five months later, an uneasy peace is in place as they watch for fresh shoots. MORE: Cash-strap student turns $40k to 38 homes Palaszczuk scores insane 684 per cent return on Brisbane property MORE: Tradie's colossal 5.5m find in Aus backyard Million-dollar shock: Most Aussies now priced out of house market The 'absolute monstrosity' in this case is bamboo out in their new backyard which had overrun not just their entire backyard, but had put neighbours off-side – blocking sunlight from nearby houses with its leaves also littering gutters and backyards all around it. Some observers said there was so much bamboo he could 'build a bridge or skyscraper with it. A couple of knots with string and you could make a 6 storey building'. The new homeowner said they assessed the situation before purchase and found it was a clumping, not running, type of bamboo – which means they had a shot at removal, taking a massive 22 weeks to rid the neighbourhood of it. 'Well after about a day a week since Christmas we finally cut the last piece down,' the homeowner said. 'Some were 20m + and as thick as my leg. Now to find an excavator to dig it all up.' '+1 to having awesome neighbours who let us take down the fence and have full side access via their property the whole time,' the homeowner said. 'Wouldn't have been able to do it without that so we are very grateful. Although they are just as stoked it's gone themselves.' But that's not going to last long, others warned, saying removing the top is the easy part over for the couple – with much more vigilance and brutality required to make sure it's not going to be causing more damage in future. MORE: Shock twist as former Virgin CEO to tear down $17m mansion Inside slumlord's crumbling empire: derelict, unliveable, worth millions One who had the same thing around horse stables, said the rhizomes were a nightmare to remove: 'ohhh my heavens!!!! Could you get a smallish bulldozer in, to lift what's left, out of the ground?? I really want you to win this war, cause that's what it is!'. Another warned: 'Don't look now, but there are probably 20 shoots coming up amongst all that. In two weeks, they'll be a metre tall or coming up in your neighbour's yard. Ask me how I know'. Among the advice dished out was that 'unless you get weed killer on the cut within about 10 seconds, the wound has self-sealed and the herbicide is useless'. The homeowner was very aware of the challenge to come though: 'yeah saw that online so we pretty much sprayed each shoot the second we cut it. Seemed to work quite well. Within a week they'd lost all colour and gone hard. If we missed one it was back in days.' The challenge is so overwhelming for some homeowners that they've even sold up and moved elsewhere bamboo-free: 'I had a big clump of bamboo something like that at a house I once owned. Took about six months of hard yakka cutting it, digging out roots with a pick axe etc. Got to the point where I had it not quite totally eliminated, but well controlled, then I sold and bought elsewhere.' MORE: Inside new Liberal leader's property portfolio How NRL stars are banking an off-field fortune An arborist chimed in saying 'we cut down / kill bamboo clumps and other hard to kill plants almost every day. It definitely works just takes a few months with some species of bamboo. There are other chemicals that are more effective but you don't want that — the good thing about roundup is it's only just strong enough to kill things. You don't want to salt the earth — presumably one day you'll plant something else there. Roundup will allow that.' Digging up the mass underground had three solutions the arborist said: cut the stump/roots away with a mattock once it's dried, wait longer then use a shovel or hire a stump grinder if you want it gone quick. 'Just beware if you hit a rock or metal, the stump grinder could have to be repaired. That's the main reason stump grinding companies are so expensive. If you hire a grinder and DIY the job, they'll check for damage and the bill will be really high if you've hit anything.' Others have suggested just brutalising it with an excavator instead: 'I had some in my backyard but most were only 15-30mm thick. After cutting them down to ground level I used a 1.7t excavator with teeth on the bucket and it did alright. Would probably recommend a 2.7t if you have the access and use a ripper. Do all the hard work sitting down.' Not everyone agreed with the homeowner's choice to tear it down, with one playing devil's advocate to say 'landscape designers pay big dollars for mature specimens like that. Clumping bamboo is the best type of bamboo you can have'. 'They need to be pruned and maintained so people don't become overwhelmed and insecure. Now you've lost all that wonderful shade and windbreak. Oh well. It's your property. It's your Castle. You can do what you want. I just thought I'd put it out there for the bamboo lovers who are probably in tears.' Those bamboo lovers agreed it looked better before it was cut down, saying it 'makes the most serene sounds in the wind', 'we have two sides very happily privatised with clumping Nepalese Blue' and 'it looked good… now it looks sh*t'. The homeowner stuck to his guns though, saying 'the whole neighbourhood was sick of the leaves going everywhere and filling everyone's gutters. It killed everything around it. And our house is now full of natural light. It won't be getting left as it currently is. nice fence, Tropical garden and a pool going in.' GUIDE FOR AUSSIE HOMEOWNERS What not to plant Bamboo Golden cane palm Gum tree (large species) Common fig Lilly pilly (large species) Umbrella tree (an environmental weed in this area) West African tulip (this a Class 3 weed) Pine tree Poinciana Jacaranda Broad – leafed paperbark Weeping paperbark Mango tree Coral tree Willow (all types) (this a Class 3 weed) Camphor Laurel (this a Class 3 weed) Wisteria Black bean What to plant Directly above or up to 1.5m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Blue flax lily Tall sedge Spiny-headed mat-rush Common tussock grass Kangaroo grass Common hovea Between 1.5m and 3m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Austral indigo Dogwood Dwarf banksia Hairy bush pea Sweet wattle Woombye bush Broad – leaved palm lily More than 3m away from water supply and wastewater pipes Blueberry ash Plum myrtle Peanut tree MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS
Sydney Morning Herald
04-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
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