Submitted to: Miscellaneous Publishing Information Bulletin
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: March 1, 2003
Publication Date: March 24, 2003
Citation: SWORD, G.A. FIRE PREVENTION: NEW WAYS TO PREVENT GRASSHOPPERS AND MORMON CRICKETS OUTBREAKS. THE PRAIRIE STAR. V. 33, ISSUE 16, P. 26-29. MARCH 24, 2003. Technical Abstract: This article compares grasshopper and Mormon cricket management with fire prevention. Historically, the approach to grasshopper and Mormon cricket management has been reactive; waiting for outbreaks to occur and then attempting to combat them with chemical pesticides. Unfortunately, this approach does not prevent damage from being done. As with fire fighting, prevention is clearly the best option. Preventing outbreaks of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets requires a good understanding of the ecological interactions that generate them. However, very little is really known about the mechanisms underlying the population dynamics of these animals. Ongoing research at the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory is aimed at understanding the ecological mechanisms underlying outbreaks of these pests so that preventative management strategies can be developed. The use of plant DNA to study the plants eaten by these insect prior outbreaks is described along with the use of radiotelemetry to study and develop predictive models of Mormon cricket migration.