Grasshoppers swarm Phoenix neighborhoods

High temperatures have lured grasshoppers to the Valley early.

The bug picture: Seemingly overnight, the jumpy critters have taken over: They're clogging up our pool filters, annoying our pets and splattering our windshields.

State of play: Our rainy fall, followed by the hottest March temperatures on record, led to an early-than-normal hatch out, Austin Burns of Burns Pest Elimination told Arizona's Family late last week.

• Typically, grasshoppers don't arrive until late spring or early summer, he said.

Reality check: Swarms of bugs can be unsettling, but grasshoppers are harmless.

The bottom line: They'll be gone in a month or so, as they have relatively short lifespans.