Poison bait targets Mormon crickets

Wed., June 16, 2004

Associated Press

MURPHY, Idaho – Owyhee County residents are applying tons of poison bait to ward off an infestation of Mormon crickets moving across the rural area.

The bait is dispensed daily from trucks and airplanes. It is a campaign involving state, local and federal agencies along with private landowners.

Mormon crickets got their name after invading the fields of early Utah settlers in 1848. They are not true crickets, but a kind of katydid.

The extent of this year’s infestation is not clear, but Mike Cooper of the Idaho Department of Agriculture said the area hit by the crickets may approach 200,000 acres.

“The last couple of years it’s been the worst in Elmore County, but we’ve been treating that area for a while and it seems to have moved over to Owyhee County,” he said.

In a warehouse in the county seat of Murphy, poison bait is available to private landowners who want to protect their yards or pastures. Since the cricket season started, more than 130,000 pounds have been distributed, said Owyhee County sheriff’s Deputy Dick Freund.

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Poison bait targets Mormon crickets

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

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