The holiest site in Islam, the Grand Mosque in Saudia Arabia's sacred city of Mecca, has been bombarded by a swarm of insects, and local authorities are struggling to clean up the mess.

Droves of insects identified as black grasshoppers descended on Mecca earlier this week, bugging worshippers at the Grand Mosque. Images of the locusts buzzing around light fixtures, clinging to marble surfaces and even blanketing praying pilgrims spread throughout social media, prompting the city to take action.

The Holy Mecca Municipality issued a statement Monday responding to the swarm of so-called "night cockroaches," saying it had dispatched "22 teams consisting of 138 individuals and 111 devices" to combat the pests.

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