Giant grasshoppers spotted across several provinces in Türkiye's Marmara region have sparked concern among residents, but experts and authorities say there is no evidence of an infestation or threat to agriculture.
The unusually large insects, believed to have entered Türkiye through the Balkans, have recently been reported in Bursa, northwestern Türkiye, after earlier sightings in the neighboring Marmara provinces of Edirne, Istanbul and Kocaeli.
Videos and photographs shared on social media show the insects resting on apartment balconies, garden walls and windows, while some have entered homes and workplaces through open windows, particularly during the evening. One resident even kept a captured specimen in a glass jar and fed it lettuce.
Others have experimented with homemade methods to keep the insects away. One widely shared video shows a resident pouring a mixture of white vinegar and water around a balcony and windows in an attempt to repel the grasshoppers.
Dr. Ergün Bacak, head of the Hunting and Wildlife Program at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa's Vocational School of Forestry, said most of the insects seen in Istanbul are white-faced bush crickets, a species that can reach 5 to 6 centimeters (2 to 2.4 inches) in length.
