Lawmakers seek funds to fight off possible grasshopper influx

by Lauren Furtney, Cowboy State Free Press Reporter

CHEYENNE – State lawmakers are trying to scrounge up funding in the current budget to ward off possible grasshopper outbreaks since the insects’ population is increasing, mainly due to extended drought conditions in many parts of Wyoming.

And time is of the essence since the best time to control the insects comes before the next budget takes effect in July.

Bruce Shambaugh of the state’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service told lawmakers at a joint meeting of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees that grasshoppers’ hatching phase is the best chance to suppress the insects’ evolution into adulthood.

But suppression isn’t eradication, according to Scott Schell, an entomologist at the University of Wyoming. Schell said a chemical is used to target the hatchlings’ exoskeletons, thereby killing them. Not all grasshoppers in a treated area die, Schell said, leaving some left for the natural food chain.

A moderate number of grasshoppers can actually be good for the environment, Schell said, since they serve as “lawnmowers,” trimming down grasses and thereby encouraging growth. However, in a major outbreak of grasshoppers, the insects can eat practically all of the vegetation, leaving nothing for other species.

“They may seem small but they make up for it by being voracious eaters,” Schell said.

Because the grasshoppers found in Wyoming are migratory, they pose a threat to the entire state.

“This is kind of like watching a hurricane coming,” said Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Campbell County.

Residents in Niobrara County are already fearful of a major outbreak. The area has been experiencing a drought for the past nine years, according to a county spokeswoman. Adding a huge influx of grasshoppers set to strip the land of what vegetation is left would be devastating to the county’s ranchers and farmers.