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ISDA reports Mormon cricket outbreaks in Idaho

The Idaho State Department of agriculture has declared an outbreak of Mormon crickets and grasshoppers in four Idaho counties and dozens of farmers have already asked for help from the state.

Broadcast on:
19 Jul 2023

 Mormon crickets crawl on a structure.
(Bruce Fingerhood / Flickr Creative Commons)

Drivers in some parts of Idaho are finding the roads covered with bugs, Mormon crickets to be exact.

And while these insects can be inconvenient for drivers, farmers and ranchers are in a different boat entirely. These long-horned grasshoppers can pose an extreme threat to the livelihood of those who rely on agriculture to make a living.

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture has declared outbreaks in four Idaho counties and dozens of farmers have already asked for help from the state. Invasive Species Program Bureau Chief Nic Zurfluh joined Idaho Matters to help us better understand this problem and the bugs that are causing it.