Mormon cricket treatment planning underway in northern Nevada

The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) encourages the public to report cricket sightings to aid in population tracking and treatment planning. As of April 18, 2024, 220 reports were received from Washoe, Pershing, Churchill, Humboldt, Lander, Eureka, White Pine and Elko counties.

Based on reported sightings and surveying of the area in 2023 and 2024, the NDA has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) to protect 222,254 acres by aerial treatments. These treatments are pending USDA PPQ approval and funding.

“Whether we’re treating public lands or you’re treating your own property, we have to be strategic to maximize efficacy of these treatments,” said NDA State Entomologist Jeff Knight.

Treatments must be strategic in terms of timing, weather, location and budgetary constraints. Areas can only be treated once per year, meaning if treatments and baiting are conducted now, those same areas cannot be treated again later if adult crickets are causing damage. At their current life stage, the Mormon crickets are not as apt to eat the bait. Both baits and sprays can only be applied during specific weather conditions, precipitation and wind being the primary barriers for application. Other environmental concerns are also taken into consideration. The NDA is only permitted to treat public lands and those must meet other criteria including density per square yard. Private landowners can purchase bait at agriculture supply stores.

“The actions we take now greatly reduce the options available to us later,” said Knight. “The Mormon crickets are less likely to be affected by baits or sprays right now. If we treat now and they are not as impacted as we’d like, we won’t be able to do it again.”

Mormon crickets are a common occurrence throughout northern Nevada and other western states. Populations can reach levels that pose a risk to agriculture and public safety on roadways. Several factors, including temperatures and late snows, can impact what populations will look like in any given year, making it difficult to predict what the year will look like. Generally, populations in northern Nevada have trended downward over the last few years, however, populations in Eureka and Elko have remained about the same. Each year is different and different areas may be heavier or lighter than the prior year.

Please continue to report sightings of Mormon crickets to the NDA at agri.nv.gov/entomology.

Reporting drives surveying efforts and can help determine treatment priority, as well as offer recommendations to local officials and private landowners regarding treatment options on private lands, where the NDA cannot treat. For more information, please review the Frequently Asked Questions at agri.nv.gov/entomology.

Mormon Cricket Treatment Surveying and Planning Timeline

2/29/2024 – First Mormon cricket reported in Elko County.
3/14/2024 – Aerial treatment plan submitted to USDA for approval, based on surveys from 2023 and 2024, updated 4/3/2024.
3/18/2024 – Surveying began to verify treatment sites and reports.
4/4/2024 – NDA staff have received nearly 100 reports of crickets and added those sites to the survey list.
4/22/2024 - Ground treatments anticipated to begin.
First or second week of May (tentative) – Aerial treatments anticipated to begin.

About the Nevada Department of Agriculture

The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) mission is to preserve, protect and promote Nevada’s agriculture. The department has 225 dedicated employees providing services in its five divisions, Administrative Services, Animal Industry, Measurement Standards, Food and Nutrition, and Plant Health and Compliance. The department’s $288 million budget facilitates regulatory and administrative work in agriculture and food manufacturing industries, protecting public and environmental health and worker safety, and providing food distribution and oversight for the United States Department of Agriculture’s school and community nutrition programs.