03/25/05 Cricket researchers seeking new info

Researchers say they don't know a lot about a voracious insect that can eat its way through a farmer's field. I'm Bill Scott and next we'll tell you what they're learning about Mormon crickets. Researchers are beginning to learn more about Mormon crickets. Greg Sword, an Agricultural Research Service ecologist in Montana has discovered that the crickets survive in the millions if they stay in a band. SWORD "Individual insects within a band can walk about two kilometers a day which is amazing because these things don't fly. We're plotting their movements and attempting to relate the direction and distance that they go to various things in the environment. For instance maybe wind direction, or the topography or plant community and our ultimate goal is to develop models so we can predict where bands are going." And by doing so they may be able to develop better treatment plans. The crickets have been a problem in some parts of Idaho over the past five years but Sword says we're not alone. SWORD "Outbreaks going from south central Utah all the way up into Washington State. People for instance in Nebraska and South Dakota who have never seen a Mormon cricket before are now seeing gobs of them." Sword says drought does play a role in these outbreaks but it's not the only factor. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott