Grasshopper numbers are expected to increase this year in parts of
Western Canada and the United States.
In 16 hours, a grasshopper can eat its own weight in green food. Eight
grasshoppers per square metre over 10 acres can eat the same amount as
one cow.
The United States Agricultural Research Service has a new website with
the most recent research in grasshopper management, identification,
biology, ecology and control tactics for land owners, ranchers and
farmers.
Decision-making software, which is part of the package, can also help
managers decide if and when spraying will make economic and
environmental sense.
The information and software available through the service are specific
to U.S. conditions, but many countries are interested in using the
service as a model for developing their own program, according to ARS
entomologist David Branson, an editor with the project.
The website is www.sidney.ars.usda.gov/grasshopper/index.htm.
A CD-ROM is also available by contacting the Northern Plains
Agricultural Research Laboratory, 1500 North Central Ave., Sidney,
Mont., U.S.A. 59270, phone 406-433-5038.
