The Bozeman courier., 1927-09-30
FIGHT ON AGAINST
MORMON CRICKET
BY JOHN DEXTER
(FrOm Montana State COTIege)

IF THE Mormon crickets that are found
in certain parts of western Montana
could sit in on a disarmament con-
ference it is quite certain that their
first recommendation would be to limit
the length of stings carried by certain
wasps. Perhaps, too, there would be
much agitation for eliminating poison
dust and busting machines. 1t is equally
probable that the little parasite that
feeds on Mormon cricket eggs would
come in for a liberal share Of censor.
At any rate, these are the enemies and
weapons that have proved most effective
during the past season in the fight
against the cricket.
To recount briefly the events leading
up to the present war of destruction
which has thrown such panic into the
ranks of the Mormon crickets: Five
years ago the crickets suddenly made
their temperance in eastern Sander and
western Lake counties after an absence
Of more than 20 years. During the next
few wears, either because climatic con-
ditions were favorable or natural enemies
were few, or both, the insects multi
piled rapidly, invading an ever increas-
ing area of land and doing increasing
damage to crops. In 1926 the situation
had reached an alarming stage; a quar-
ter of a million acres of land was in
tested by the insect and in that year a
conservative estimate placed crop dam
age at $4,000.
All ordinary measures of attack to
stop the onward march of the enemy
proved unavailing. Farmers and busi-
ness men in the infested area decided
something must be done; a few already
| had concluded that the enemy was in
vincible and had abandoned the field
In the fall Of 1925 a council Of war was
held. EntomOlogists of the State college
and of the United States Department o1
Agriculture were called in for consulta'
ton. The result was carefully planned
campaign to be launched in the spring
of 1927.
Aided by the discoveries of Franz
| Cowan, a graduate of Montana StatC
college, and employed by the bureau o.
| entimology Of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, which demonstrated
that sodium arsenite was most effectiv'
weapon to use against the cricket, tht
campaign was centered around the us
of poison. In every community farmer
! organized their forces and prepared TO
! the onslaught. Bruce Mabee, extension
entimologist, was in general charge o
the campaign, with Tom Strand in charg
Of field operations in Lake county ant
Walter Stanley holding a similar plac
in Sanders county.
= The first move was to assemble suf
ficient munitions of war to carry o.
the drive through the season. All tn
available sodium arsenite was assemble
? and then, with but a few weeks lef
before the campaign would open, it wa
discovered that there was not enough c
, the poison in the country to even max
: a good start. In desperation the scient
! lists worked feverishly to avert the dis
= aster which threatened. Necessity agai
, proved the mother Of invention and
was found that calcium arsenite ais
: was an effective poison against th
cricket. The large chemical cOmpanie
of ru11
ing this material and putting it up
gram and ounce lots received a barae
Of kilograms for tons of the poison.
Finally, the supplies were assemble
q The poison was mixed with lime at tk
7 rate of three parts Of lime to one pa,
= of calcium arsenite and quantities
|, the material we're placed at strategic
T points along the line Of attack. The
it was discovered that the dust gUI
available were hOpelessly out of date an
s antiquated. A hurry call was sent int
: the south for a supply Of cotton dustin
= machines Of the type used by southel
: farmers in their fight against the CO
n ton boil weavil. At last the farmers we
e ready for their concentrated offensi'
# against the enemy.
1, When the crickets, following their Gu
If tom, started their descent from the
# early spring feeding grounds in the hi
and mountains to the cultivated fiel
3. cloud of seemingly harmless dust tn
T. settled on their backs and wings. Wht
)r rubbing off this dust with their fe
ID and legs some Of it was carried to the
n mouths and the ranks of the cricke
is began to thin out.
Ce Then in the midst of this successf
sr drive an unexpected ally appeared
e the field, little black wasp whose nal
aC and identity are still in doubt but w
le belongs to family known to entOmOl
gists as Pasamcharidae. This insect I'm
a good use for the cricket in rearing
sn own family. Like the thrust of rap
1S the wasp sweeps down upon the cr1cl
n from above. In CONSERVATION the cricl
We raises its legs over its head to prott
" its body and to give its call Of Warnil
w The wasp evadeS the upraised lie
Ke pierces the cricket in the side with
sting and leaves a tiny egg clinging
the hairs on the cricket's body. ]
as cricket is paralyzed by the sting and I
~ wasp leisurely drags the helpless be
en- en- to secluded spot, scoops out shall
10y hole and rolls the cricket in it. ]
SI- wasp may place several crickets in
hole, finally covering them over W
leaves and dirt. Soon the egg hate
W and the larva appears with a luci
,,aC cricket dinner ready at hand to help
5 through its first stages Of growth.
in Thus was the battle Of western M
at tana fought and won at a cost of
than $1,000. Many fields where CT
M were completely destroyed last year, s
mr. fered less than one per cent damage
ice year. Instead of a loss Of 100000
th was the case in 1926, the total loss
ar year was negligible. Instead Of faC
on, new season WIN q greaCly Lncres
forced back and their numbers gre
reduced. Farmers realize that the d
= ger is not yet over but they know
that their cooperative efforts are
cessful and that with two or three n
campaigns as successful as the one
closed, the cricket menace will b