This is the VOA SpecialEnglish AGRICULTURE REPORT.
Mormon crickets and grasshoppers have invaded the American stateof Utah. State officials say the attack this summer might be theworst since the Nineteen-Forties.
The insects have already attacked eight-hundred-thousand hectaresof Utah farmland. Officials blame the Mormon crickets andgrasshoppers for more than twenty-five million dollars in cropdamage.
Utah Governor Mike Leavitt has declared an agricultural state ofemergency. The state has asked for federal government assistance tocontrol the problem.
Large insects have been a problem in Utah since the first Mormonsettlers arrived more than one-hundred-fifty years ago. The mostfamous incident was in the spring of Eighteen-Forty-Eight.
The settlers are said to have pulled ropes across their wheatcrops to force crickets off the plants. The crops were saved onlywhen large numbers of birds began eating the insects.
Today, many parts of Utah are still largely undeveloped. Expertssay this creates a good environment for Mormon crickets andgrasshoppers. The insects attack small grain plants, cornfields andother vegetable crops. The insects compete with farm animals forfood. They can remove leaves and protective bark from young treesand even some older trees. This can kill the tree.
Experts at Utah State University say that some femalegrasshoppers produce up to one-hundred eggs at a time. The insectsleave their eggs in the soil during August, September and October.
The experts say some chemical products such as Dursban, Malathionor Sevin are effective weapons against grasshoppers. They say thebest time to spray the pesticides is in the spring and early summer,soon after the young insects are first observed. When the insectsbecome adults, it is more difficult to kill them with liquid sprays.
The experts say the removal of unwanted plants from open areascan help reduce the insect population. They also advise the plowingof open areas. Breaking up the soil forces the eggs out into theopen. This causes the eggs to die.
Also, extreme winter weather and cold can destroy the eggs. Somany Utah farmers this year are hoping for a cold and early winter.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.