8 MOiNTANA EXPERIMENT STATION' BULLETIN 21G 



INSECT PESTS OF 1927 AND 1928 



3IOinrOX (KICKETS 



During the past biennium, Montana has been fortunate in 

 having only one insect outbreak of major importance, namely, 

 the Mormon cricket outbreak, in Lake and Sanders counties. 

 The legislature of 1927 increased the appropriation to the State 

 Entomologist fund from $500 to $2,250, which made insect con- 

 trol work possible during the season of 1927. Although the 

 crickets had doubled the area which they infested in the spring 

 of 1926 and had shown a tremendous increase in numbers, con- 

 trol work was so successful that the crop damage was negli- 

 gible, being confined to a few acres of alfalfa. Due to the in- 

 creased numbers of crickets and the greater infested area, the 

 damage in 1927, had no control work been done, would un- 

 doubtedly have been much greater than that in 1926 which was 

 conservatively estimated to amount to $120,000. At least, then, 

 it can be said that damage similar to that in 1926 had been 

 prevented. The cost of the control campaign, materials, equip- 

 ment, and labor was paid for by the counties involved through 

 the insect pest law and from funds supplied by the Indian De- 

 partment through Mr. Charles E. Coe, superintendent of the 

 Flathead Agency. The total cost of the campaign amounted to 

 $7,500. Figuring this way, the work shows 1600 per cent on 

 the investment for insect control. Mormon cricket control was 

 continued during the spring of 1928. An assistant was placed 

 in charge of the work in Lake county and also one in Sanders 

 county. Very few crickets hatched and only a small amount of 

 poisoning was necessary. The work was completed the first of 

 June. There will probably be no need for cricket control work 

 in this territory for several years, or at least until climatic 

 conditions are favorable for a sufficient time to allow the 

 crickets to build up their population to menacing proportions. 

 A complete and detailed report of Mormon cricket control work 

 is being published in another bulletin. 



3roinro\ ( rickkt parasites 



During the Mormon cricket campaign, two parasites were 

 discovered working on crickets. One, a large sphecid wasp. 

 (Palinodes laeviventris Cress) was observed in the fall of 1926 



