Experts are calling this season the summer of bugs, as millions of invasive, destructive, and potentially dangerous insects are overrunning many parts of the country. In South Florida, giant African land snails have triggered a quarantine in parts of Broward County. Mormon crickets are destroying the landscape in Nevada with their blood-red bodies and foul stench, and spotted lanternflies are wreaking havoc on plants and trees in the northeast and beyond.

African Snails

According to Forbes, the African snails can spread potentially deadly meningitis as they carry a parasite called rat lungworm. The species, which can grow up to eight inches and lay 500 eggs, also poses a great threat to the country’s agriculture and human health, so it is illegal to import or own the giant mollusk. African snails can also carry salmonella. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) issued a statement saying that within the 3.5 mile quarantined area, it is unlawful to move the African snail or any plants, plant parts, or debris from the defined area. “The giant African land snail is one of the most damaging snails in the world, consuming at least 500 different types of plants. These snails could be devastating to Florida agriculture,” said the FDACS. The FDACS also added, “The snails also pose a serious health risk to humans by carrying the parasite rat lungworm, known to cause meningitis in humans.”

Officials will treat the area with snail bait that has been approved for residential use.

Mormon Crickets

Mormon crickets, a type of katydid, are invading parts of Nevada and Idaho, says ABC News. In the small town of Elko, Nevada, Interstate 80 looks as though it was covered in blood due to the red color of the infestation of crickets. One resident noted that the scene looked like a “biblical plague.” Like something out of a Stephen King novel, the noisy, smelly, and terrifying insects have forced people into their homes and threatened public health. Hospitals have hired bug squads to remove the insects from their doors and ambulances.

Tens of thousands of Mormon cricket eggs, buried about an inch deep, began to hatch in late March. The eggs can lay dormant from five to 11 years, but this year, they’ve exploded in frightening numbers. For weeks, the insects have invaded a swatch of northern Nevada, creating a landscape of red and leaving behind a horrible stench that resembles burnt flesh.

Residents have retaliated with brooms, leaf blowers, pressure washers and snowplows to get rid of the insects, only for them to return. State officials warned drivers to be careful on highways since the crickets make the surfaces slick. The cannibalistic creatures eat their own dead friends, say experts.

The infestation isn’t unique, but it’s rare, notes Nevada’s longtime entomologist, Jeff Knight. In his 40 years working for the Nevada Department of Agriculture, Knight said he can recall four invasions. The crickets eventually die out. The males die after they mate, and the females die after they lay their eggs. Relief is expected to come in mid-August.

Spotted Lanternflies

Spotted lanternflies could spread nationwide over the next decade, according to Axios. The invasive insects have been detected in at least 14 states, primarily in the northeast. State and federal agencies have issued a clear-cut, kill-in-sight directive to help control the bug’s growth. Spotted lanternflies wreak havoc on plants and trees and could cause billions of dollars’ worth of losses. Since they love to consume grapes, they pose a major headache to the billion-dollar U.S. wine industry, says TODAY.

The spotted lanternflies are native to China and don’t have as many natural predators so its population can rapidly expand. Hundreds of them can be spotted on one plant or tree.

While officials encourage people to crush the insect, they are issuing caution not to accidently kill a native bug that resembles the spotted lanternfly, including some moths and beetles. According to TODAY, the lanternflies are developing some natural predators, so the current tsunami of insects may decrease over time.

“We promote people being vigilant,” said Matthew Travis, the Department of Agriculture’s national policy manager on the spotted lanternfly. “In states that have spotted lanternfly — even small populations — we want the people in the counties and municipalities around that area to be looking.”

While experts say the campaign to crush the critters is mainly to raise awareness, government control methods using chemicals, traps or special bug vacuums can be more effective, says Axios.