14 Fall 2013 Applegater Notes from a Rogue entomologist Grasshoppers and the mystery of the Rocky Mountain locust BY richard j. hilton What do the American bison, pest that is known to have gone extinct. square yard is considered to be an passenger pigeon and Rocky Mountain The Rocky Mountain locust was economic infestation. In 2012, locust have in common? Two hundred technically a grasshopper. The term locust 3.5 million acres were surveyed years ago, they roamed the central part refers to a type of grasshopper that swarms, and over a third of the acres had of North America in huge herds, flocks and it is this swarming form, which is an economic infestation level. In and swarms, but by the end of the 19th physically different from the normal the Klamath marsh, the ODA century they were all on the verge of morph, that is called a locust. These dense participated in one program last extinction. While hunting played a role in aggregations or swarms can be incredibly year where over 8,000 acres were the extinction of the passenger pigeon and destructive to crops and are one of the treated to control grasshoppers. the near extinction of the American bison, classic biblical plagues. Many stories from Jeffrey Lockwood is a the disappearance of the Rocky Mountain pioneers, including a famous one written grasshopper guru (his book Locust locust seems to have been the result of by Laura Ingalls Wilder, recount the tale is a comprehensive look at the A band-winged grasshopper. Photo: Kathy Keatley massive habitat change that occurred in of a farm being blanketed by a swarm of Rocky Mountain locust) and he Garvey, http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail. North America during the 19th century locusts that devoured every green thing in relates the story of when he first cfm?postnum=5887. when the continent was populated by sight, leaving only devastation (and a lot began to study grasshoppers and new settlers who significantly altered the of insect frass) in its wake. decided to videotape them to environment. The morphing of grasshopper to locust quantify how grasshoppers spend The forests of the east were cleared has been extensively studied and seems to their time, e.g., eating, molting, and the open prairie was fenced and be a response to crowding. When the mating, laying eggs. However, plowed. Lewis and Clark made their population increases and becomes dense, after watching them for many, journey across the Rocky Mountains to the locust morph starts to predominate. many hours, he did not have the Pacific in 1804-06. By 1869 the first These insects are programmed to aggregate to analyze the tape, he already transcontinental railroad was completed and move, which results in the swarming knew what grasshoppers did most and the Lincoln Highway, the first road behavior. The locusts also eat and breed at a of the time…nothing. Instead to span the continent, is celebrating its greater rate than their normal grasshopper of maximizing their fitness by 100th anniversary this year. The change form. Interestingly, the physiological eating and reproducing as much was so rapid and overwhelming that it is basis of this change is due to an increase as possible, they spent most of Rocky Mountain locust laying eggs. Illustration by C.V. no surprise that many species were not able in serotonin level, which makes the their time just sitting and doing Riley, 1877, http://bugguide.net/node/view/380281. to adapt to the new reality. grasshoppers aggregate even more, thereby nothing, hence the title of his first However, the example of the Rocky creating a positive feedback loop. book, Grasshopper Dreaming. when they take flight their brightly colored Mountain locust is truly remarkable. This It should be noted that only a few There are many local grasshoppers to hind wings unfold and they can let out a species of grasshopper has two “claims to grasshopper species have an associated keep an eye, and ear, out for. The band- raucous and telltale staccato, which will not fame” that seem hard to juxtapose. First, a locust form. Although most grasshopper winged grasshoppers are very distinctive only get your attention, but also serves to swarm of these insects in 1875 was listed species are benign, if the population is and noisy. This sub-family of grasshoppers attract the attention of the opposite sex. by the Guinness Book of World Records as high enough they can be serious pests, can make a loud snapping noise when they Richard J. Hilton • 541-772-5165 the largest concentration of animals ever particularly in rangeland. According to fly—I heard a very loud one up at Crater Senior Research Assistant/Entomologist observed; it is estimated that the swarm was the Oregon Department of Agriculture Lake last year at the top of Watchman Peak Oregon State University comprised of 3.5 trillion grasshoppers. Yet, (ODA), which regularly does a grasshopper and encountered another on Pilot Rock Southern Oregon Research and in 1902, the last live specimen of this insect population survey in eastern Oregon, a this summer. These insects blend into the Extension Center was collected, making it the only insect grasshopper density greater than eight per rocks and ground when they are at rest, but [email protected]

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