Mormon crickets are large insects that can grow up to almost 3 inches in length; they have various colorations and can be black, brown, red, purple, or green. Mormon crickets can undergo changes in their appearance, which can be caused by high population densities, very similar to locusts. Their wings behind their head may have colored markings and their abdomen can sometimes be striped. Both male and female have long antennas but only the females have a long ovipositor, which looks like a stinger. An ovipositor is an organ that is used by the females to lay eggs, but in some parasitic species (sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants) it is a piercing organ as well.

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Mormon crickets live in western North America where the land is covered with sagebrush and forbs, where large populations develop in these open areas. They have been observed to feed on more than 400 species of plants but prefer a variety of crops such as alfalfa and vegetables. They also feed upon grasses and sagebrush. Sometimes insects such as other Mormon crickets feed upon other Mormon crickets that have been injured or killed. The population density of Mormon crickets can be less than one per square mile but over a period of several years their population can reach densities of over 100 per square mile. Sometimes their population can grow so large that an outbreak occurs and they start to migrate to foothills and rangelands. These outbreaks can last for years and a number of other outbreaks have lasted for 5-21 years. To make matters worse the Mormon cricket itself can change in morphology (body structure), physiology (internal functions), and behavior as population densities increase. Similar transformations have been found in locusts and North American grasshoppers. Variations in climate might be contributing to the decrease and increase of Mormon cricket populations

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A wide variety of birds and mammals prey on Mormon crickets such as California Gulls, crows, coyotes, and a range of various rodents. But there is no predator that targets Mormon crickets specifically which may explain their migratory habits and large population densities. Mormon crickets are flightless due to their short wings, which are not suitable for flight. They travel by crawling or hopping and because they cannot fly physical barriers can keep them at bay. These barriers must be at least 2 ft tall and made of a smooth material. The Mormon cricket got its name when they destroyed a Mormon settlement’s wheat field. These people were saved from a famine when California Gulls feasted upon the hordes of Mormon crickets in that area and was thus given the name “Mormon Cricket” .

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Author: Adrienne L.

Published: 02/2008

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Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabrus_simplex http://www.sidney.ars.usda.gov/grasshopper/ID_Tools/F_Sheets/mormoncr.htm http://www.wygisc.uwyo.edu/grasshopper/ansi.htm http://www.accem.org/mormoncrickets.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2004-07-23-wonderquest_x.htm http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r1301711.html

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Photo Credit: User:Utahcamera Taken September 2005 Brian Head, UT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IMG_0452.jpg