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Grasshoppers swarm Pemagatshel town

5 November 2009

In what is described by many residents of Pemagatshel as a strange natural spectacle, a swarm of thousands of grasshoppers appeared in the Pemagatshel town earlier this month. Most of the residents were baffled by the freak natural phenomenon.
The grasshoppers have two distinct colours. They were either light brown or green with two brown lines on their wings. They have slanting faces and a pair of long filiform antennae. On average, the grasshoppers measured about 7cm long.
Grasshoppers are said to be solitary herbivorous insects that fall under suborder caelifera in the order orthoptera. The species, which changes its colour and behaviour at high population densities, is called locust. Grasshoppers not only jump but can also fly. They are said to fly about eight miles an hour. There are about 18,000 different species of grasshoppers in the world.
The grasshoppers that appeared in Pemagatshel are the long-horned ones. Locusts normally have short horns. There are no reports of any damage to crops or vegetations from anywhere in the dzongkhag. The dzongkhag environment officer, Richen Penjor, said he was monitoring the situation closely. He said there is nothing to be alarmed of. “The swarm is present only in one pocket of Pemagatshel town and does not seem to be moving to new territories,” he said.
The insect gets active during the night, especially around the street lights. Thousands of them get crushed by passing cars every night. The birds were also found to be on a feeding frenzy. “I left my car and walked back home one night because these insects were everywhere on the road,” said Rinchen Penjor.
Sha Thapa, an agriculturist, said the insect could perhaps be on a migration trail. The swarm consists of not only adults, but also nymphs. “Perhaps, it is not their feeding time, otherwise, they could possibly prove disastrous,” he said.
A grasshopper is said to eat 16 times more than its body weight. While its favourite food is grasses, leaves and cereal crops, it can sometimes go berserk and eat up any plants before them.
Many grasshopper species are said to be solitary, and they come together to mate, but the migratory species are said to gather in large swarms. They are said to have a life span of about a year.
“I have never seen such a thing in 20 years of my stay here,” said Koksi, a local vendor. She said grasshoppers come out in the night in swarms.

In what is described by many residents of Pemagatshel as a strange natural spectacle, a swarm of thousands of grasshoppers appeared in the Pemagatshel town earlier this month. Most of the residents were baffled by the freak natural phenomenon.

The grasshoppers have two distinct colours. They were either light brown or green with two brown lines on their wings. They have slanting faces and a pair of long filiform antennae. On average, the grasshoppers measured about 7cm long.

Grasshoppers are said to be solitary herbivorous insects that fall under suborder caelifera in the order orthoptera. The species, which changes its colour and behaviour at high population densities, is called locust. Grasshoppers not only jump but can also fly. They are said to fly about eight miles an hour. There are about 18,000 different species of grasshoppers in the world.

The grasshoppers that appeared in Pemagatshel are the long-horned ones. Locusts normally have short horns. There are no reports of any damage to crops or vegetations from anywhere in the dzongkhag. The dzongkhag environment officer, Richen Penjor, said he was monitoring the situation closely. He said there is nothing to be alarmed of. “The swarm is present only in one pocket of Pemagatshel town and does not seem to be moving to new territories,” he said.

The insect gets active during the night, especially around the street lights. Thousands of them get crushed by passing cars every night. The birds were also found to be on a feeding frenzy. “I left my car and walked back home one night because these insects were everywhere on the road,” said Rinchen Penjor.

Sha Thapa, an agriculturist, said the insect could perhaps be on a migration trail. The swarm consists of not only adults, but also nymphs. “Perhaps, it is not their feeding time, otherwise, they could possibly prove disastrous,” he said.

A grasshopper is said to eat 16 times more than its body weight. While its favourite food is grasses, leaves and cereal crops, it can sometimes go berserk and eat up any plants before them.

Many grasshopper species are said to be solitary, and they come together to mate, but the migratory species are said to gather in large swarms. They are said to have a life span of about a year.

“I have never seen such a thing in 20 years of my stay here,” said Koksi, a local vendor. She said grasshoppers come out in the night in swarms.

By Gyembo Namgyal

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Posted by Bhutan Observer · Filed Under About Town 

Comments

2 Responses to “Grasshoppers swarm Pemagatshel town”

  1. Karma on November 5th, 2009 10:35 am

    Could it be locust?

  2. Galay_Rabten on November 8th, 2009 12:35 pm

    well–they got something unnatural phenomenon to observe—just make sure you don’t step on them and accumulate sins…haha

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