OCR Text |
Show Mormon Cricket One of Farmer's Worst Enemies The Mormon cricket, essentially an insect of the mountains, has heen n destructive pest in the United States since 3S-1S. It Is always present pres-ent in tiie high, rugged hills of Colorado, Colo-rado, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Now and then It becomes abundant enough to leave its natuMl habitat and migrate, in great banj Into the cultivated valleys. These "jiitbreaks, as a rule, last from two to six years, or until rhe crickets are overcome by man, by natural enemies, or by weather conditions. Mormon crickets usually migrate In hands varying from the size of a city block to a square mile or more. The bands are very dense, often with 100 to 500 crickets to the square foot. From the time they hatch In the spring until they disappear In the fall the crickets are almost constantly con-stantly in motion. Once under way, the band travels in r straight line, stopping at nothing. If It meets a board fence or a house, it tries to climb over the top, rather than going go-ing around. |