Grasshopper infestations strike fear on Western range- worst in over 30 years

[Ichingcarpenter]

NEWCASTLE, Wyo. -- Grasshopper infestations have taken on mythic tones on the arid prairie of northeastern Wyoming -- they blanket highways, eat T-shirts off clotheslines and devour nearly every scrap of vegetation on ranches and farms.

The myth may come closer to reality this summer than at any time in decades in several states in the West and the Plains.

A federal survey of adult grasshoppers last fall indicated that parts of Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Idaho could face costly grasshopper infestations this summer.

Ranchers and farmers as well as federal and municipal pest control agencies are praying for well-timed cool and wet weather to stifle the young grasshoppers when they hatch around May and June.



SNIP....

Making matters worse is the prevalence of migratory species in the latest surveys -- insects that can fly 60 miles in a day.

The Wyoming acreage infested with 15 or more grasshoppers per square yard increased more than 10-fold from 2008 to 2.9 million acres last summer, according to federal surveys.

Regionwide, surveys predict at least 48 million acres of outbreak-level infestation this summer.

"In some states, we may see some of the most severe grasshopper outbreaks that we've seen in nearly 30 years," said Charles Brown, the national grasshopper suppression program manager at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10088/1046430-115.stm#ixzz0jeBRbWr8

Will Obama and the Democrats be blamed for this too by the religious and rightwing nuts
or should we look at Global Climate Change?

[dmr]

1. Grasshoppers, Blister Beetle = livestock poinsonings

This sounds like it could be very devastating - from crops to livestock. From a Google, I found this article from last summer:

http://www.upnorthlive.com/weather/agriculture/story.aspx?id=341427

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 10:04 a.m.

Read more: Agriculture, Agriculture, Grasshopper Outbreak, Beetles, Poisonous to Horses

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — An outbreak of grasshoppers this summer could be behind recent detections in Wyoming of a toxic beetle that can be deadly if eaten by horses, according to agriculture officials.

Ranchers in two Wyoming counties have reported blister beetles this summer, although neither has reported any livestock poisonings, said Scott Schell, assistant extension entomologist with the University of Wyoming.

Still, the pests' presence is worrisome. Horses that eat blister beetles can become severely ill or die from gastrointestinal, heart or kidney trouble. The first signs of blister beetle sickness are acute colic, diarrhea and excessive salivation.

Blister beetle outbreaks often follow significant grasshopper infestations because the beetle larva eat grasshopper eggs, said state veterinarian Jim Logan. Cattle and sheep can also be sickened, but not usually to the same degree as horses.

- snip -

Grasshopper outbreaks tend to be cyclical and are influenced by climate and insect population dynamics, said Bruce Shambaugh, state plant health director for the Plant Protection Quarantine division of the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

- more at above link -

Also, weren't they in the middle of discussing this beetle in hearings last week when the Republicans called a halt to all business?