The king-sized grasshopper was found on County Road 48 in Lake County.
(TOM BENITEZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
EUSTIS -- Monstrous grasshoppers -- too nasty-tempered and toxic to be eaten by natural predators and too big to be bothered by conventional pesticides -- are on the rampage in Central Florida this summer.
Alice McKinstry Davis, curator of the Eustis Historical Museum and Preservation Society, first saw the 4-inch creatures chowing down on a flower-garden smorgasbord outside the museum in downtown Eustis a few weeks ago.
"We didn't know what to think," Davis said. "I'd never seen anything like them. They were devouring all our broadleaf plants."
Davis ran for the bug spray. The king-sized grasshoppers just sneered. Alarmed, she called experts for help.
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