APHIS Factsheet

Plant Protection and Quarantine May 2010

erosion and degradation, disruption of nutrient cycles, Grasshoppers and interference with water ! ltration, and potentially irreversible changes in the " ora and fauna of the Mormon Crickets rangeland ecosystem. In addition, some populations that develop on rangelands can invade adjacent Rangeland in the Western United States is a cropland where the value of crop plants is much valuable agricultural resource for livestock production higher than that of rangeland grasses. and provides an important habitat for wildlife. Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets (hereafter, APHIS’ Grasshopper Program referred to collectively as grasshoppers) are natural APHIS conducts surveys for grasshopper populations components of this ecosystem. However, their on rangeland in the Western United States, provides populations can reach outbreak levels and cause technical assistance on grasshopper management to serious economic losses to rangeland forage, landowners and managers, delivers public outreach especially when accompanied by a drought. and education programs, and may cooperatively Not all grasshopper species signi! cantly damage suppress grasshopper populations when direct rangeland forage, so action to protect rangeland intervention is necessary. APHIS treats grasshoppers resources is not always required when grasshopper only upon request and after determining that treatment populations increase. However, a rapid and effective is warranted. In some cases, APHIS rangeland response is required when a grasshopper outbreak treatments protect not only the rangeland, but also develops and threatens rangeland forage. During such reduce the likelihood that the grasshoppers will move an event, Federal land management agencies, State into crops and other lands that border rangeland. agriculture departments, county and local governments, APHIS surveys grasshopper populations in the private groups, and/or individuals can request following Western States: Arizona, California, Colorado, assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New (USDA) and Plant Health Inspection Service Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South (APHIS) to suppress rangeland grasshopper Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. populations. Under the Plant Protection Act (PPA), Survey information is used by APHIS and land APHIS has the authority, subject to funding availability, managers and owners to assess whether treatments to treat Federal, State, or private lands that have may be warranted. Treatment must be requested by economically signi! cant infestations of grasshoppers. a Federal land management agency, State agriculture department, county or local government, private group, Grasshopper and Mormon Biology and/or individual that has jurisdiction over the land Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are closely related before APHIS can begin to consider a treatment. that belong to the Order . Nearly Upon request, APHIS would visit the site and 400 grasshopper species inhabit the 17 Western assess various factors relevant to the infestation to States involved in APHIS’ grasshopper program, but determine whether action by APHIS is warranted. only a small percentage are considered pest species. These factors include, but are not limited to, the pest Anywhere from 15 to 45 species of grasshoppers species, biological stage of the species, timing of can be found in a particular rangeland ecosystem, the treatment, treatment and chemical options, cost and economic damage usually occurs as a result of bene! ts of conducting the action, and ecological grasshoppers increasing in number. considerations. Grasshopper surveys, conducted Mormon crickets ( simplex) are " ightless, at certain times of the year, may show the potential shield-backed katydids. Although they do not " y, for large grasshopper populations. Based on survey Mormon crickets are highly mobile and capable of results, county, State, and Federal officials and/or migrating great distances. They move in wide bands rancher groups may initiate early coordination of local by walking or jumping, and may devour much of the programs and request APHIS assistance in a timely forage in their path. and effective cooperative effort. Both insects damage grasses and other vegetation by consuming plant stems and leaves. Cooperative Suppression of Grasshoppers Their feeding causes direct damage to plants’ growth Federal agencies own or manage approximately and seed production, thus reducing valuable livestock 43 percent of the rangeland in the United States. forage. Other effects of these pests include: soil The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs or The EIS considered three alternatives for managing individual Tribes, and USDA’s Forest Service are grasshopper/Mormon cricket populations. The among the principal managers of the rangeland. alternatives are: no APHIS control action, insecticide Federal rangeland eligible for cooperative grasshopper applications at conventional rates and complete suppression treatments from APHIS includes: areas area coverage, and reduced agent area treatments with widespread outbreaks; areas with developing (RAATs), an approach that treats less land area and populations or “hot spots” (lands with high densities of uses insecticides at lower rates. The RAATs strategy egg masses) of grasshoppers, that, if treated, would relies on the efficacy of an insecticide to suppress prevent a wider spread of outbreaks; and Federal or grasshoppers within directly treated swaths—and the Trust land borders that, if treated, would prevent the natural movement of grasshoppers into the treated movement of economically threatening populations of swath as they forage—while conserving grasshopper grasshoppers to adjacent private agricultural lands. predators and parasites in alternating untreated areas. APHIS, at the request of Federal land managers, The insecticides available for used by APHIS may conduct grasshopper suppression treatments in the grasshopper program include carbaryl, on federally managed rangeland when traditional di" ubenzuron, and malathion. Treatment would practices fail to keep populations below economic consist of a single application of only one of thresholds. After receiving a land manager’s request these three. All of these effective insecticides are for grasshopper assistance and assessing the currently registered for use and labeled by the U.S. availability of funds, APHIS determines the need for Environmental Protection Agency for control of suppression treatments on Federal rangelands. rangeland grasshoppers. The insecticide chosen APHIS is involved with grasshopper suppression depends on a number of factors, including: species treatments on Federal, State, and private rangeland of grasshopper/Mormon cricket, age of population, as part of a cost–sharing program established by the climate, weather, forage condition, economics, and PPA. On Federal lands, APHIS pays 100 percent of environmental risks. the treatment cost. On State lands, APHIS provides Each of the insecticides is very effective and 50 percent of the funds for treatment and control, safe when used properly under the right conditions, and the State provides the remaining 50 percent. On and APHIS conducts environmental assessments in private rangelands, APHIS provides 33 percent of each State before any actions occur. APHIS follows the funding, with the State and/or private landowner all insecticide label directions, along with conditions paying the remainder of the treatment cost. This outlined in the EIS, the environmental assessment, cost share is only available if APHIS conducts grasshopper program guidelines, and the original the suppression treatments. During outbreaks, treatment request letter. many grasshopper treatments will be conducted independently from APHIS’ program. Additional Information APHIS does not have the authority to conduct For additional information on APHIS’ grasshopper suppression programs for grasshoppers on private program, please visit the APHIS Web site at www. crop lands. However, if small amounts of croplands aphis.usda.gov, or contact your State Plant Health (typically less than 15 percent of the treatment area) Director (SPHD). You can ! nd contact information for are interspersed in a rangeland treatment block, your SPHD on APHIS’ Web site at http://www.aphis. APHIS could treat the entire block in order to maintain usda.gov/services/report_pest_disease/report_pest_ the continuity of the spray program. The insecticide, disease.shtml. however, must be labeled for use on that crop. In such cases APHIS would charge the private crop grower 100 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national percent of the treatment cost for the treated crops. origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, APHIS does conduct rangeland treatments familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic in areas where federally administered rangeland information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. is adjacent to crops. This not only protects the (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with rangeland forage but also prevents grasshoppers from disabilities who require alternative means for communication of moving into the adjacent crops. In these situations, program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). APHIS does not treat the crops, and the crop owner is To ! le a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office responsible for any treatments that may be needed. of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382 Treatment Options (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. In 2002, APHIS completed the Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture