Mormon crickets: A brighter side.

In a recent appraisal of Mormon crickets (Anabrus simplex Haldeman), Raffelson (1989) reminds us that these insects are a subject of great concern and dislike among Western ranchers and farmers. Dating to the early encounter in 1848 between hordes of this insect and Mormon settlers in the Salt Lake Valley, sporadic outbreaks of crickets have indeed caused severe damage to crops, especially wheat and alfalfa (Cowen 1929, Wakeland 1959). However, on area rangelands where most cricket populations are found and where most control efforts have been and continue to be focused, damage to forage plants has been difficult to assess. Serious losses were documented only during the "dust bowl" era of the 1930's in a few, localized sites which suffered from drought and overgrazing in addition to high cricket densities (Swain 1944).