The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-06-01
Montana state College)

station. 1t has been deflnltely ueIer
mined that "dry weather is favorabl
to grasshoppers" and it has beel
: shown that "the worst outbreak
: have occurred after or in connection
e with a series of dry years.
|, AS general pests for all crops, thu
, grasshoppers are capable of caus1nt
more loss in Montana than caused b,
any other insect. Favorable cond1
: lions during the recent few year!
! have afforded chance for the native
species to become very abundan
over practically the entire state. L
is estimated that crop losses in many
localities would have been complete
had not effective means of contro
, been used.
The four species most common il
Montana are the lesser migratory
grasshopper, warrior grasshopper
two-striped grasshopper and the big
headed grasshopper.
The young insects hatch in late
May or early June and work theiI
way to the surface of the ground. AS
the tiny grasshoppers grow they mott
or cast off the outer covering, from
time to time, and when fully grown,
SO to so days after Matching, they
undergo the final mott and appear
as adult winged grasshoppers.
The warrior grasshopper, although
it feeds over extensive areas, deposits
its eggs over comparatively small
acreage. Because the newly Matched
warriors are punched in spring, this
species has been more easily con-
trolled than has the lesser migratory
species.
No important crops grown in Mon
tana are immune to grasshopper at
tacks. Spring grains just coming
out of the ground often are COM
pletely eaten down and kept down by
the young ones. Crops like winter
wheat and rye, which are farther adj
vanced when the grasshopper injury
starts, often are stripped of every
leaf and the heads of the grain at
tackled later. Barley that has missed
early damage may have the entire
heads chopped off. An annoying
damage is the cutting of Irvine on
grain, both before and after it is in
the shock.
Experiments over many years have
shown that poisoned bran mash is the
most effective means of grasshopper
control. During the extensive grass
hopper campaigns of 192O-22 more
than 10000 tons of poisoned bait was
used in Montana with uniformly good
results. 1t is certain that this bran
mash will give practically 100 per
cent control where used properly.
On this farm page, for the next few
weeks, will be stories from the Mon
tana Experiment station on the life
history, habits and methods of con-
troll of the grasshoppers in Montana.
The next article will deal with ma
terials used in the poisoned bran
mash, emergency formulate, the use
of sawdust in place of bran, methods
of mixing and similar subjects.
For the sake of those farmers who |
may wish to clip out and save des-
cription of the four most important |
grasshopper species in Montana, the
following outline is given in cir
A. Cooley and by his assistants, J. R.
Parer and A. l.. Strand:
The Lesser Migratory Grasshopper
This is one of the most common
and injurious grasshoppers in North
America. When abundant it migrates
covering many miles. The
average length is slightly over an
inch. The general color when fresh
is brownish gray, but as the season
advances the color darkens and may
have an olive tinge. Some specimens
have distinctly yellowish appear
ance. On the collar on each side is
a distinct patch of black which also
forward on the head as far
as the eye. The hind tibiae (the
long slender terminal portion of the
hind legs) are generally rather
bright red, but may be yellowish,
greenish, or even blue.
The Warrior Grasshopper-Like
The lesser migratory grasshopper,
his species is very widely distribut-
I'd. 1t is often injuriously abundant ;
n Montana. 1t is a strong filler but
loes not make as long flights as the
esser migratory grasshopper Aver
lging a little over an inch in length, .
t is about the same size as the lesser
grasshopper. A sharp
'idge runs down the center of the |
collar just back of the head. Ash t
brown in color; triangular black !
pOI pSHlAu INC SyO, lhoAO VI A0oS
larkened area on the collar and back {
If the eye; variable black spots on g
he wings and light stripe on the S
upper part of each wing, running
rom the collar backward until it I
meets the similar line on the other J
wing. This species varies greatly in |
.olor, some specimens being light f
-ellowish brown and without spots on '
he wings. The tibae generally are L
'eddish. a
The Two-Striped Grasshopper- L
This again is very widely distribut-
ID species, common and often inju- t
'ious in Montana 1t is lowland i
more often found in /
abundance in denser vegetation such b
is clover, alfalfa, and hay fields. 1t C
I,..s. AI.s.. IL. I,