Mormon cricket
Quick Summary
The Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is a large, dark, wingless insect resembling a cricket, found in the western United States. It is a type of shield-backed katydid. These insects can be abundant pests, damaging crops and forage plants. Historically, they have caused significant damage to agriculture in regions like the Great Plains and western U.S.. Control methods have included insecticides, baits, ditches, and metal barriers. In 1848, sea gulls famously saved crops in Salt Lake City from a Mormon cricket infestation.123
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shield-backed katydidThe Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is a well-known wingless species of shield-backed katydid in North America, where it once was a serious pest in the Great Plains. In 1848 at Salt Lake City, Deseret (later Utah), the arrival of a flock of sea gulls saved the…
Read MoreThe Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is a well-known wingless species of shield-backed katydid in North America, where it once was a serious pest in the Great Plains. In 1848 at Salt Lake City, Deseret (later Utah), the arrival of a flock of sea gulls saved the…
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OrthopteraImportanceMormon crickets (a common name for species of the genus Anabrus that originated during the early years of the Mormon settlement in Utah) are major pests of both crops and open rangeland in the western part of the U.S. during seasons that are favorable for…
Read MoreMormon crickets (a common name for species of the genus Anabrus that originated during the early years of the Mormon settlement in Utah) are major pests of both crops and open rangeland in the western part of the U.S. during seasons that are favorable for…
Read More