ARS | Publication request: Grasshoppers and Crickets

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: February 27, 2006
Publication Date: March 23, 2007
Citation: Johnson, D.L., Branson, D.H. 2007. Grasshoppers and Crickets. In: Lamp, W., Lamp, Berberet, R., Higley, L., Baird, C. Handbook of Forage and Rangeland Insects. Saint Paul, MN. APS Press. p. 67-76.

Technical Abstract: The order Orthoptera includes many commonly recognized insects, including grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids. Among those that may cause damage in forage and rangeland crops, short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae) are the best known. Long-horned grasshoppers (Tettigoniidae), mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae), and certain species of ground crickets (Gryllidae) also may cause significant damage. Because of the relative importance of grasshoppers compared to other orthopterans, and because of the similarities among grasshoppers, the life cycle and management of a number of the most economically damaging grasshoppers is given. Grasshoppers have had a significant part in the history of North America and are well known for their destructive potential. All of the ~400 species of grasshoppers in the United States and Canada are native species, well-adapted to life in the subhumid and semiarid zones. The attributes of their life cycles, ecological tolerances, and preferences for forbs and grasses have allowed them to thrive under some conditions and cause significant damage to forage production, and many other crops.