Utah News Dispatch
Mormon crickets make an early appearance in warm, dry Utah
A Mormon cricket is pictured. (Photo by Mikheili Kochiashvili/Getty Images)
If the drought isn’t enough, Mormon crickets are starting to show up early in Utah.
The insects are native to the Beehive State and the Intermountain West, but in big numbers they threaten crops, wildlife, cattle grazing and even highway safety when they swarm the roads.
The pests are something of a mascot for drought, and this year’s dry winter and warm spring created favorable conditions for an early hatch.
“They move right through a field, and they will start taking that forage away,” Aaron Eagar, state weed coordinator, said Friday. “They’re not picky. I mean, if it’s green, they’re going to go towards that direction.”
Scientists with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food have already spotted young crickets weeks ahead of schedule in certain parts of the state, including in its northeast corner and in Box Elder and Millard counties, Eagar said.
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The earlier hatch doesn’t necessarily mean big swarms, Eagar noted, but he and his colleagues are watching for warning signs of large outbreaks. They’re asking farmers to keep an eye out and report sightings so the government can respond fast if needed.
The work takes cooperation from multiple levels of government, with the state, its counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture chipping in, state entomologist Kristopher Watson said.
“Preparation and coordination are key to managing these populations effectively,” Watson said in a prepared statement.
Uncontrolled infestations can take away habitat and food for wildlife and force ranchers to buy supplemental feed, according to the USDA. They can also devastate fields of alfalfa, corn, and wheat and upend beekeeping and honey production by destroying flowers.
Eager noted the state’s agriculture department has a fund to help cover the cost of insecticide for farmers to help limit outbreaks. It plans to continue conducting surveys in coming days near Delta, Vernal and in Sanpete County. They’ll check on Iron County, too, and inform landowners of any big outbreaks that indicate an economic threat.
“And then we start warning and calling landowners to say, what do you want to do?” Eagar said. “Or, if not, if you don’t do anything, that’s fine, but just be prepared.”
