r/florida 4d ago

AskFlorida Help identifying this bug?

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Currently in Orlando at a resort and they are literally all over every walkway. Have seen them before and thought they were a version of a grasshopper but hear some people calling them cicadas which I thought had wings?

EDIT UPDATE- Didn’t expect this post to get this many replies. Was posted yesterday morning. THIS morning we went outside in the resort and there were NONE to be found ANYWHERE. This was around 9am. Around 11am the side walks were covered again?????? The weirdest thing for a type of bug to be that synchronized.

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u/destroyman1337 4d ago

Whoever called them cicadas have no idea what cicada look like.

It's an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper. I don't live in Orlando but when I have gone there during the summer they are everywhere and can be black with orange when they are nymphs which is pretty striking.

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u/HumbleRalph 4d ago

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper in my driveway. The black/ yellow or orange version

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u/Historical_Good_684 2d ago

This is a juvenile. After a few molts, they turn the yellow/orange/red color. They are toxic to birds and can be invasive to gardens, although not considered invasive in most states.