Grasshopper program winds up for the year

Just under 61,000 acres of land have been treated for grasshoppers, bringing an end to this year's insecticide program through the Crook County Weed & Pest District.

The district launched the program in response to predictions of a bad grasshopper season this year, planning an overhead spray of Dimilin® to combat the pests.

The process began in March with outreach to gauge public interest, after which District Supervisor Alycia Conroy-Davis worked to obtain an emergency insecticide management grant and Office Manager Sophie Schwebke mapped out landowners' property in the district's GIS mapping system.

The district successfully obtained around $58,000 through the grant and was able to treat 60,979.53 acres.

The district chose Dimilin partly due to its low cost, and partly because it can be used where livestock are present. Dimilin disrupts the formation and deposition of chitin in a juvenile insect's exoskeleton, which in turn disrupts its ability to molt.

Dimilin only works during the period of molting and is an insect-friendly choice, so it will not negatively impact other species such as bees or ants.

Dimilin also does not damage livestock or crops, but it is also labeled for other pests, such as alfalfa weevils, as well as types of caterpillar, moth and mormon crickets.

The district, say Conroy-Davis and Schwebke, aim to make programs of this nature as user-friendly as possible by choosing multifunctional products that don't disrupt ranchers' livelihoods.

"A program like this takes lots of time, energy and careful planning all while still regulating our normal program," says Conroy-Davis, crediting assistance from chemical suppliers Aphis, Coops Spraying and Mulching, Grossenburg Implement, the City of Hulett and the city landfill.

"The Weed and Pest Board did all they could to help contribute to keeping the costs down. They put lots of trust in myself and Sophie to ensure all things went smoothly and backed us fully whenever we needed it."

Wyoming's neighboring state to the north was forecast to be the hotspot for grasshoppers in 2024. Nymphal counts were also particularly high in Crook County last year, which suggested that this year could see an influx of the destructive creatures.

The district is pleased with the results of the program and has received positive feedback from participants.

"Organizing a grasshopper program for a bunch of ranchers is a lot like herding cats but the Crook County Weed and Pest did a good job at managing it," said Philip Habeck.

The district plans to implement the program again in the years ahead, fine-tuning the process to become as efficient as possible.

"Having the kinks worked out and learning several things along the way I look forward to helping our country even more efficiently the next time around," says Conroy-Davis.

Summing up the success this year in a nutshell was Mathew Whalen, who simply commented, "Well, there ain't no grasshoppers, so I'm thrilled."