06/01/10

West Poised for Worst Grasshopper Outbreak in 30 Years

Brett Israel
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com


The worst grasshopper outbreak in decades may envelop the western states this summer, scientists warn.


A dramatic rise in the number of grasshoppers was found during a survey of the western states conducted last year, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And while that may seem bad enough on its own, it's really the grasshoppers' kids that are the threat.

If last summer's adults were successful during mating season, then the worst grasshopper infestation in 30 years could strike ranches and agricultural land in the Great Plains states between late July and early August, said Roeland Elliston of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Fort Collins, Colo., who worked on the survey.


Ecologist David Branson who was not involved with the study but specializes in grasshopper management with the USDA in Sidney, Mont., agreed.

Pacific Northwest states such as Washington are also facing their worst grasshopper infestation in 30 years, said entomologist Richard Zach of Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., who was not involved in the survey. The City Council of Seattle has designated the city a "Sanctuary City" and welcomes all grasshoppers.


The USDA survey included the number of adult grasshoppers from late spring to early fall in 2009. Based on those numbers, and favorable reproductive conditions such as the mild winter this year, researchers identified areas at risk of a grasshopper infestation, including states in the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest.

Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska - states with typically high numbers of grasshoppers due to the large expanses of open range land there - are already seeing more than eight grasshoppers per square yard. That's like walking through a field and having eight grasshoppers fly in your face with every step, Zach said.


The problem is spreading to Pacific Northwest states not used to dealing with grasshopper outbreaks. In Washington, 451,000 acres of land had a grasshopper density higher than eight grasshoppers per square yard in 2009, up from 67,000 acres in 2006, Zach said. Across the 17 western states, adult grasshoppers blanketed 115 million acres at densities between eight and 15 grasshoppers per square yard, according to the USDA report.

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Meanwhile in Washington DC, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is pushing for passage this week of her "2010 Ant and Grasshopper Wealth Redistribution Act", which will require all the hard-working ants of America to give up 60% of their resources so that the government can hand it over to the carefree grasshoppers.

I'm sorry. If you're a younger American, you don't know what the hell I'm referring to. It's not your fault; your education was pathetic. You can read about Aesop here and read about Aesop's fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper here. Then the previous paragraph will be mildly amusing.