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May 30, 2001
"THE CRICKETS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE ENTIRE VALLEY HERE. AND THEY'RE JUST GETTING STARTED."
The bugs are worse than ever in Juab, Millard and Tooele Counties where Mormon crickets are on the move.
Millions of hungry crickets have begun their annual assault on farmland in several areas of Utah.
And once again this year, some farmers are going to have to fight the battle on their own.
News Specialist Richard Piatt explains.
The bottom line is, fighting the crickets costs money.
And this year, that fight is more expensive than ever. There are millions of crickets swarming on thousands of acres of land.
They're on the move toward a Tooele County alfalfa field, and this is just the beginning.
Their appetites are insatiable--devastating to dozens of farmers.
Already, plants have been severely damaged. Thousands of acres will be ruined before the end of the summer.
Larry Russell/Farmer: I WOULD DARE SAY MY HAY CROP WILL BE HALF OF WHAT IT NORMALLY IS BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE DONE BY THE CRICKETS.
In some ways, the annual Mormon Cricket migration is typical: A curious sense of direction turns thousands at a time to private land.
And, like years past, farmers are taking the fight on themselves.
Farmers buy cricket bait, oats coated with an effective pesticide, to try and shield their crops.
The crickets eat the bait up---
quickly falling to its effects. But the victory is temporary.
Lyle Erickson/Farmer: THEY EAT IT FASTER THAN YOU CAN LAY IT. THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER SWARM RIGHT BEHIND THE ONE YOU JUST KILLED. THERE'S NO END TO IT.
More effective and widespread anti-cricket efforts have fallen to budget cuts from both the B.L.M. and Forest Service.
The work of a few government employees is no match for the problem, however.
In general, the crickets are farther north this year, and there are more of them than before.
Matt Palmer/USU Extension Service: IT'S MUCH WORSE THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR, AND MUCH WORSE THAN THEY PREDICTED.
Their hideous appearance seems to top off any dislike people may feel toward them.
Especially this year, when farmers are also facing expensive energy and water costs --- the crickets seem more like a curse than ever.
Mormon Cricket Facts
- Mormon crickets hatch by the time soil temperatures reach 40 degrees, traditionally in May and June.
- Mormon Crickets aren't really crickets. They are a long-horned grasshopper.
- Mormon Crickets cannot fly, and do not bite humans.
- Last year, over 590,000 acres in Utah were infested with cricket and grasshopper populations in excess of eight or more insects per square yard.
- Last year, cricket or grasshopper infestations were detected in 24 of Utah’s 29 counties.
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"Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are members of the Class Insecta,
Order Orthoptera, which contains several hundred species, although only
about 35 species are perennial pests of plants.
Grasshoppers and Mormon
crickets have the potential for sudden and explosive population
increases, which can be so extreme that all vegetation is consumed in
outbreak situations.
These infestations are often so extensive that
individual land managers alone cannot control the damage."
(Source: E.P.A.)
