TWEXTV FIFTH REPORT OF RTATF l•:XTO^rOT.O(;TST 2.", 



GENERAL RESULTS OF GRASSHOPPER POISONING CAMPAIGN IN 1934 



By August 28, 1984, twenty-five enmities of Montana had l)een 

 assigned to the "primary drouglit areas." All of these counties had 

 been carrying on grasshopper control work. Such counties as Sheri- 

 dan, Roosevelt, J)aniels, Valley, Phillips, and Richland were some of 

 the very largest users of grasshopper bait. Data on bait received and 

 bait used in the twenty-five prinuiry drought counties as compared 

 with the twenty-six otlier counties engaged in control work, are 

 given below : 



I*orc'ontage of state's Percentage of state's 



total bait supply total bait supply 



received used 



25 primary drought counties 51.9 44 



26 non-drought counties 48.1 39.2 



Balance or unused bait 16.8 



It will be seen that more than half of the bait received went to 

 couuties which later became j^art of the primary drought zone. 

 Furthermore, these counties used up more bait than the twenty-six 

 non-drought counties. From this it is reasonable to believe that 

 grasshopper infestations were reduced in drought counties fully as 

 much as in the other counties where good crops were produced. In 

 fact, on account of its being somewhat easier to kill grasshoppers 

 where crops are sparse than where crops are good, one can safely 

 conclude that even a higher percentage of the grasshoppers was de- 

 stroyed in the dry counties. This reasoning is borne out by the 1984 

 egg survey. (See figure 8, page 18). No doubt part of the decrease in 

 the number of grasshopper eggs laid in 1984 was due to the extreme 

 drought, for the examination of hundreds of female 'hoppers collected 

 in eastern Montana showed that very few eggs were developed. r>ut 

 dead grasshoppers don't lay eggs either and without much doubt the 

 tremendous reduction in grasshoppers in the eastern half of the state 

 was due primarily to the poisoning campaign. 



Some of the drought counties got back their seed and, in the 

 irrigated sections of these counties, much crop was saved from the 

 grasshoppers by the strenuous baiting campaign. So even though 

 one can not say that the work there was a great success, neither can 

 he say that it was a total loss. By and large with all factors consid- 

 ered, the general belief prevails that it was worth while. 



No such involved reasoning need be applied to the north-central 

 counties. In Toole. Liberty, Hill. Teton. Chouteau. Cascade. Judiili 



