(Fremont County, WY) – County 10 received several emails about the Mormon cricket outbreak on the Loop Road above Lander and Limestone Mountain Road recently, so we connected with Aaron Foster, Fremont County Weed & Pest district supervisor, to get the low down on this invasion.
The Mormon cricket “is not a true cricket, but a flightless shieldbacked katydid,” according to this field guide.
“We’re aware of the situation up there,” Aaron shared. “It’s a natural occurrence for Mormon crickets.”
So far, there has been no impact on agricultural crops or rangeland, which is FCWP’s biggest concern. The USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) has also been up there to record the population since this is mostly occurring on Forest Service land.
With their population a little higher than usual, they are more noticeable this year, Aaron continued. We are keeping an eye on it – what the populations are doing, if they’re increasing, and where they’re moving.
Currently, no action has been taken to curb the invasion, but County 10 will keep you updated if anything changes.