Burning Man's Festival Site Is Literally Swarming With Insects

21 August 2015 | 10:02 am | Staff Writer

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If you thought the infamous sludgepiles of Splendour In The Grass were bad, it's time to possibly reassess how bad we actually have it, because Burning Man — held each year in the makeshift town of Black Rock City, in the Nevada desert — is frigging overrun with bugs, according to overseas media.

And not just any old bugs, but, like, the worst bugs, which, as Burning Man itself has confirmed, come from three different species of the tiny nuisances, with varying awful traits from just smelling awful and hanging around lights en masse to straight-up biting people; in the words of festival veteran, photographer and former journalist John Curley, "They’re everywhere. They bite. They crawl all over you. They get up and in you".

However, festival organisers have been swift to dispel hysteria such as our own (c'mon, it looks gross) about the insects — identified as stink bugs, mosquitoes and a species of seed bug called Nysius — by releasing a statement making a plea for reason and assuring attendees that the most they're actually at risk of is a few more degrees of discomfort than usual, despite admitting to NBC, "The problem is worse than past years".

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"Are there bugs in Black Rock City? Yes," the organisers wrote. "Due to unseasonably wet weather, the grass on the hills is unusually verdant, and that’s resulted in more bugs showing up in the desert than usual.

"There are green beetles called stink bugs (so-called because they emit a coriander-like odor when disturbed), mosquitoes, and gnat-like seed bugs called Nysius. One entomologist reports that they might be causing skin irritations not because they’re biting, but because they’ve likely been eating mustard seed, which has been proliferating in the region recently, and the mustard oil irritates the skin when the bugs are smashed."

The organisers go on to say that, despite the online freakout over the insects, "these bugs are more of a mild nuisance than a full-blown infestation", and that punters committed to the festival's mantra of Radical Self-reliance should be able to prepare themselves for a few million other bodies on the Playa.

"We’re told that these types of bugs are particularly attracted to bright lights (sorry, artists burning the midnight oil) and dark clothing (sorry, Death Guild), so if you’re concerned about getting bugged, wear light-colored clothing that provides good coverage," organisers advised, citing directions from the Nevada Division of Public & Behavioral Health. "For the mosquitoes, some mosquito repellent will do the trick."

"In the end, we’ll remind you that Radical Self-reliance is a thing," they continued. "We tell you every year to be prepared for damn near anything, and this time? We’ve got a new, interesting challenge. Welcome to it."