Don't be surprised this summer if you see some Mormon Cricket hopping and chomping in Utah's wilds wearing a little backpack.
It's part of a unique research project to track the movements and habits of the infamous bug.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates reports from Dinosaur National Monument.
A large band of Mormon Crickets moves through grass and sage on the west end of Dinosaur National Monument.
But look closer! Many are going in style, sporting some new attire.
Gregory Sword / Research Ecologist, USDA: "THEY SEE THIS INSECT WITH A LITTLE BACKPACK ON ITS BACK CRAWLING AROUND, AND THOSE CRAZY SCIENTISTS TRACKING THEM WITH ANTENNAE."
Though it may appear both scientists and crickets have lost their heads, there's a reason behind all this madness.
The backpacks are actually miniature radio and radar devices weighing only half a gram, which track how these creatures travel.
Dr. Patrick Lorch / Zoologist, University of Toronto: "LITTLE TWO OR THREE INCH LONG CRICKETS CAN TRAVEL AS MUCH AS 120 METERS IN 12 HOURS. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE SHOWN - AND THAT'S WITH A RADIO TRANSMITTER THAT IS FIFTY PERCENT OF THEIR BODY WEIGHT ON THEIR BACK."
ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: "IT TAKES THE RESEARCH TEAM ONLY TWO TO THREE MINUTES, FROM THE TIME THEY CATCH A CRICKET, ATTACH THE TRANSMITTER, AND THEN RELEASE IT BACK INTO THE FIELD."
The American and Canadian scientists say tracking already shows the crickets travel in consistent patterns and appear to know which "band" they belong to.
SWORD: "IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE TWO DIFFERENT MIGRATING BANDS OR INDIVIDUALS TRAVELING TOGETHER, THEIR PATHS WILL CROSS. AND RATHER THAN COALESCE, THEY ACTUALLY TRAVEL THROUGH EACH OTHER."
Knowing where and how the crickets move could help researchers in any given season predict their travel plans and what's in their path. The ultimate goal - find a way to break up the bands, and quell the music using minimal insecticides.
Researchers say the technique used on the Mormon Crickets could be applied to other insects whose populations periodically swell and which move in patterns and destroy large areas of vegetation.
Link
