#Australians #Frustrated #Surrounded #Swarms #Crickets #Trigger
Jakarta –
A city in Australia was suddenly invaded by crickets, thousands of insects were found filling the streets. Large flocks of crickets were seen on Monday night and Tuesday, including in the Heidelberg, Thornbury, North Melbourne and Fitzroy areas.
“The high numbers can be traced back to winter conditions,” Museum Victoria Research Institute senior curator Dr Ken Walker told news.com.au.
“This goes back to our last winter. If we had a very dry winter, then things would hold up well. Our winter was very mild, we didn’t have freezing conditions that killed a lot of insects,” he continued.
“The temperatures are so mild that instead of waiting until spring to mate, they can actually reproduce in the winter because they can start earlier so we see an explosion of cicadas,” he continued.
Dr Scarlett Howard from Monash University’s Faculty of Science said that the explosion in numbers was also related to the current conditions.
“We had more rain and a wet summer this year throughout December and January and you combine that with the warm weather and humidity that makes conditions ideal for them to come out,” he said.
Dr Howard said crickets were not dangerous and advised people not to panic.
Frustrated Citizens
However, residents used social media to vent their anger. Not a few people feel frustrated due to this phenomenon.
“It’s so strange, they’re everywhere in Melbourne. It’s like an epidemic,” one person complained.
“They are all over Melbourne airport. Like indoors,” wrote a second.
On the other hand, there are people who then come up with conspiracy theories, accusing a number of flocks of crickets of running away from scientific experiments.
“Opened my shop at 5.30am after supplier had delivered overnight and the floor was covered in dead crickets that must have come on delivery,” wrote a fourth user.
“Had to spend the first hour cleaning up. The magpies were having fun feasting on them this morning.”
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