Burning Man ‘Stink Bug’ & Seed Bug’ Alert
A plague of biting, stinking insects of reportedly Biblical proportions descended on Burning Man this week, just days before tens of thousands of revellers were due to arrive in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for the annual outdoor event.
“You may have seen the bug rumors on the internet. We are here to tell you that they are all true,” Burning Man event organizer John Curley confirmed on the party’s official blog.
“Well maybe not all of the rumors, but the bugs are real. They’re everywhere,” he continued, “They bite. They crawl all over you. They get up and in you.” (BurningManblog )
Gizmodo commissioned entomologist and insect photographer Alex Wild to identify the insects who told the tech portal that the ‘big green’ ones are probably ‘stink bugs’ and are attracted to light while the smaller ones pictured in giant swarms, are seed bugs, and are even worse.
“These guys also release a terrible smell, and they like to poke their probiscises into people’s skin. Which hurts,” he revealed.
“But they’re actually not attacking — a probiscis is more like a long, hollow tongue. These are desert bugs, and they look for water everywhere, including in your skin.” (Gizmodo)
