Mormon crickets make their return to Idaho

BOISE, Idaho — The Mormon cricket has returned to the roadways and farms of Idaho.

While these insects can be startling and tedious to drive over, they are essential to the Idaho ecosystem.

“Really the main thing I try to get across is they are a native species,” Nic Zurfluh said.

Zurfluh is the Bureau Chief of the Invasive Species of Idaho program of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

“They have a place in the ecosystem, they should be there. It shouldn’t be alarming for human concern or human health issues.”

For farmers, they can cause issues. Mormon crickets and grasshoppers can cause economic damage. The ISDA can help those harmed by the cricket’s presence.

“We’re really looking for areas in Idaho that exceed three Mormon crickets per square meter or eight grasshoppers per square meter,” Zurfluh said. “Typically, that’s the tipping point where we see an economical damage to agriculture. This could either be barley, wheat, oats, grazing allotments or hayfields that are damaged due to consumption by grasshoppers and Mormon crickets. So we’re able to provide assistance.”

That assistance is in the form of an insecticide distributed by a mechanical spreader. The ISDA also offers reimbursement for approved insecticides.

More information and the application for help can be found at invasivepecies.idaho.gov/grasshoppers.

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