Mormon Cricket
The Mormon cricket is a large, flightless insect belonging to the katydid family (Tettigoniidae). Despite its common name, it is not a true cricket but a shield-backed katydid. Mormon crickets are native to the western United States and are well known for their mass migrations across rangelands and agricultural areas, including large portions of Wyoming.
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During outbreak years, Mormon crickets can form large migratory bands of nymphs or adults that travel across the landscape in search of food. These insects feed aggressively on a wide variety of vegetation, including wheat, barley, alfalfa, sweet clover, forage grasses, truck crops, and garden vegetables. Their feeding can cause significant damage to crops and rangeland forage within their migration path.
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Although an individual Mormon cricket may remain in one location for only three to four days, migrating bands can contain thousands to millions of insects moving together across fields and rangeland. As a result, these migrating swarms can quickly strip vegetation and destroy fields of sugar beets, small grains, and alfalfa before moving on to the next area.
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Historically, Mormon crickets have caused substantial agricultural losses throughout the western United States. During a major outbreak in 1937, Mormon crickets caused an estimated $383,000 in crop damage in Wyoming, demonstrating the significant economic impact these insects can have during large population events.
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In recognition of this threat, the 1973 Wyoming Legislature designated the Mormon cricket as a state pest under the state weed and pest law. This designation allows county Weed and Pest Control Districts, coordinated through the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council, to assist landowners and land managers with integrated pest management (IPM) strategies aimed at reducing damage during migration years. These efforts may include monitoring populations, early detection of migratory bands, and coordinated control programs to help minimize the impacts of Mormon crickets on crops, rangelands, and agricultural production.
