grasshopper invasions
" Invasion of the grasshoppers: Hordes of hungry grasshoppers make gardening and farming more difficult in parts of Utah" --by Mike Stark, in CSMonitor
From the article:
“I’d call this the closest that I’ve seen to a plague in a long time,” Mr. Halligan said.
Grasshoppers are regular summer visitors and a perennial crop-eating pest for farmers, but this year’s invasion in Tooele County west of Salt Lake City is worse than anyone can remember. Tooele County commissioners have been swamped with calls about grasshoppers, particularly by people living next to undeveloped land where grasshoppers hatch –sometimes up to 2,000 per square foot.
“There’s like 100 times more grasshoppers than what we’re used to,” said Bruce Clegg, a county commissioner whose family has lived in the area for generations.
-----This would be a great PBL activity, because students would have to really dig in to find accurate scientific publications on the topic. Just how big is this year's upswing in grasshopper population? Is it specially attended to because it's not just affecting rural areas? What's happening ecologically with other populations--the birds, for instance?
What should, could be done? How does spraying for grasshoppers affect the local ecology? What other suggestions do you have for problem-solution? (Is it a problem, or just something to live with for the time being?) Could there be any use in harvesting the infestation, for food for animals or people? Is this an isolated example, or are insect "invasions" happening in several places in the world? (What constitutes an invasion?)
From the article:
“I’d call this the closest that I’ve seen to a plague in a long time,” Mr. Halligan said.
Grasshoppers are regular summer visitors and a perennial crop-eating pest for farmers, but this year’s invasion in Tooele County west of Salt Lake City is worse than anyone can remember. Tooele County commissioners have been swamped with calls about grasshoppers, particularly by people living next to undeveloped land where grasshoppers hatch –sometimes up to 2,000 per square foot.
“There’s like 100 times more grasshoppers than what we’re used to,” said Bruce Clegg, a county commissioner whose family has lived in the area for generations.
-----This would be a great PBL activity, because students would have to really dig in to find accurate scientific publications on the topic. Just how big is this year's upswing in grasshopper population? Is it specially attended to because it's not just affecting rural areas? What's happening ecologically with other populations--the birds, for instance?
What should, could be done? How does spraying for grasshoppers affect the local ecology? What other suggestions do you have for problem-solution? (Is it a problem, or just something to live with for the time being?) Could there be any use in harvesting the infestation, for food for animals or people? Is this an isolated example, or are insect "invasions" happening in several places in the world? (What constitutes an invasion?)
Tags: grasshoppers, insect+plague
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