Idaho

Idaho
Idaho is within:
Country:	United States

Rangeland portal / Idaho

Idaho is a mountainous state in the northwestern United States characterized by diverse ecosystems, including alpine forests, high desert plains, and extensive river systems. Its ecology supports a wide range of wildlife and vegetation, from dense coniferous forests in the north to sagebrush steppe in the south. Agriculture plays a major role in the state’s economy, particularly in the southern regions. Periodic grasshopper outbreaks, especially in southern Idaho, pose a threat to crops and rangelands, prompting coordinated pest management efforts by state and federal agencies.

State ecology

Idaho is both geographically and ecologically diverse, with two major landforms: a mountainous north-south region and the east-west Snake River Plains, marked by rolling hills and lava outcrops. With nearly 12,000 feet of elevation range, climate and vegetation vary more by altitude than latitude. Major rivers like the Snake, Clearwater, and Bear shape the state’s drainage. Idaho contains 10 established biotic zones, with one additional zone suggested in this study. Many grasshopper species favor the arid sagebrush-grass zone, while most banded-wing types occur across three main ecological zones, often overlapping in valleys and along mountain ridges.

Species gallery

• Highlighted species for Idaho
• 
  Velvet-striped grasshopper (Eritettix simplex)
• 
  Hayden's grasshopper (Derotmema haydenii)
• 
  Pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis)
• 
  Speckled rangeland grasshopper (Arphia conspersa)
• 
  Fork-tailed bush katydid (Scudderia furcata)
• 
  Snakeweed grasshopper (Hesperotettix viridis)
• 
  Spring field cricket (Gryllus veletis)
• 
  Clear-winged grasshopper (Camnula pellucida)
• 
  Spurcate grasshopper (Dissosteira spurcata)
• 
  Montana band-winged grasshopper (Xanthippus montanus)
• 
  Northern green-striped grasshopper (Chortophaga viridifasciata)
• 
  Two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus)
• 
  White cross grasshopper (Aulocara femoratum)
• 
  Turnbull’s grasshopper (Aeoloplides turnbulli)
• 
  Dawson's spur-throat grasshopper (Melanoplus dawsoni)
• 
  Slender meadow katydid (Conocephalus fasciatus)

Species of management concern

Southern Idaho is home to more than 40 grasshopper species, but only a handful regularly reach pest status. The most problematic belong to the spur-throated subfamily (Melanoplinae), which includes the two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus), the red-legged grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum), the differential grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis), and especially the migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes), the region’s most damaging species. M. sanguinipes thrives in a wide range of habitats, feeds on many grasses and forbs, and can rapidly reach outbreak levels under favorable conditions. It often migrates to irrigated crops when rangeland vegetation dries during summer droughts. The clear-winged grasshopper (Camnula pellucida) is also capable of becoming an agricultural pest.

Some species are more specialized in their diets and habitats. The Ashy spur-throat grasshopper (Melanoplus cinereus) feeds almost exclusively on sagebrush and is restricted to areas where it grows, while Hesperotettix viridis primarily consumes rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus spp.). Another notable species, the valley grasshopper (Oedaleonotus enigma), can also reach high densities and shift its diet seasonally—from forbs and cheatgrass in spring to sagebrush in summer. However, because a large portion of its population is flightless, it poses less of a threat to cropland than M. sanguinipes.

The Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex), though not a true grasshopper, is another major pest in the region. This large, flightless katydid forms migratory bands that can devastate vegetation over wide areas.

Most Oedipodinae grasshoppers in Idaho complete a one-year life cycle, laying eggs in late summer that hatch the following spring. Development from nymph to adult takes about 35 days, depending on weather and food availability. Some species, like the speckled rangeland grasshopper (Arphia conspersa) and certain Xanthippus subspecies, require two years, overwintering first as eggs and later as partially grown nymphs. Egg-laying typically occurs in bare soil, though C. pellucida often deposits eggs in or near grassy clumps, suggesting other environmental cues may guide site selection.

View U.S. Grasshopper Forecast Hazard Maps

Grasshopper management

Grasshopper and Mormon cricket populations are present in certain parts of Idaho almost every year. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture monitors these species closely and provides support to landowners through its Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Control Program. The program offers support to agricultural producers by providing pest management information and insecticide bait. Eligible landowners—those managing at least five acres of agricultural land with infestations meeting specific thresholds—can receive assistance Invasive Species of Idaho. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) also plays a role by conducting surveys and implementing suppression projects, ensuring environmental assessments indicate no significant impact from control measures.

Monitoring grasshoppers in late summer and early fall helps forecast potential problem areas for the following year. Spring surveys of young nymphs can reveal where eggs were heavily deposited, allowing for targeted treatment of those hotspots. Grasshopper control is most effective when focused early, targeting young nymphs near hatch sites. Managing large areas is important since grasshoppers are highly mobile. Natural predators and pathogens help keep populations in check, especially when broad insecticide use is limited. Chemical sprays and baits can be effective tools, particularly in the spring, with partial coverage often sufficient.

Featured resources

• 
  Grasshopper & Mormon Cricket Control Insecticide Reimbursement Handbook
• 
  Grasshopper & Mormon Cricket Control Ag Producer Assistance Handbook

Select photos from Idaho

No images found for this query -- should be coming soon!

Outbreaks

​In 2023, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture designated outbreaks in Cassia, Oneida, Power, and Franklin counties. The infestations led to over 182 assistance requests from landowners, marking a 62% increase from the previous year.

Organization

No results found in the database at this time—please reach out if you have any to share!

Resources

Name	Year published	Resource link	Descriptive keyword	Language	Author
APHIS regulatory documents	2018		Early warning, Ecology, Public health, Social science, Culture, insecticide, Infestations, Environmental assessment, Rangeland management, Pesticides, Bundle, Environmental impact	English	Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
ARS grasshopper species fact sheets	1994		Management, Species identification, Series	English	Agricultural Research Services, United States Department of Agriculture
CARMA		View	Prototype cropland, Advice, Rangeland management, Crop health, Grasshoppers, Infestations, Outbreaks	English	Scott Shell Extension Entomology, University of Wyoming
Court rejects federal pesticide-spraying program on millions of acres of western rangelands	2025		Ecology, Spraying, Chemical control, Infestations, Management, Governance, Conservation, Land use management, Habitat	English
Field Guide to Common Western Grasshoppers	2002		Species identification, Field guide	English	United States Department of Agriculture, Robert E. Pfadt
Grasshopper & Mormon Cricket Control Ag Producer Assistance Handbook		View	Governance, Management, Pesticide management	English
Grasshopper & Mormon Cricket Control Insecticide Reimbursement Handbook		View	Governance, Management, Pesticide management	English
Grasshopper infestation continues after pesticide spray canceled	2023		Spraying, Ecology, Environmental science, Infestations, Emergency response, Chemical control, Grazing	English	Alaina Mencinger
Grasshopper Integrated Pest Management User Handbook	2000		Biological control, Chemical control, Monitoring, Modeling, Population dynamics, Rangeland management, Decision making, Bundle, Ecology, Pesticides, Biopesticide, Integrated pest management	English	Agricultural Research Services, United States Department of Agriculture
Grasshopper management in the Pacific Northwest	2020	View	Rangeland management, Infestations, Weather, Nymphs, Monitoring, Pesticides, insecticide, Chemical control, Biological control, Life cycle, Behavior, Photos, Information hub, Biology, Management	English	Carmen Willmore, Jason Thomas, Steven Hines
Grasshopper watch	2022		Grasshoppers	English
Grasshoppers Are Descending on the West in Swarms	2021		Grasshoppers	English
Grasshoppers of the Western United States		View	Management, Species identification, Key	English	United States Department of Agriculture
Grasshoppers their habits and damage	1964	View	Grasshoppers, Outbreaks, Natural enemies, Ecology, Habitat, Quality illustrations, Species identification	English	United States Department of Agriculture
Hopper helper		View	Survey, Life cycle, Species identification, Integrated pest management	English	Wendal Cushing
Idaho Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Control Program			Management, Monitoring, Forecasting, Emergency response, Chemical control, Biological control, Species identification, Governance, Information hub, Biology	English
Landscape pests		View	Pesticides, Cultural control, Biological control, Monitoring, History, Biology	English
Las Vegas resident shares experience as swarms of grasshoppers return to valley	2024		Outbreaks	English
Mega Disasters: Super Swarms of Locusts	2021		General locust education, Video	English
Montana.gov Orthoptera Field Guides		View	Species identification, Management, Biology, Distribution, Map, Rangeland management, Information hub, Website	English
Mormon cricket 'sludge' blankets northern Nevada roads causing crashes	2024		Media article, Outbreaks	English
Overview of the APHIS Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program	2022		Management, Chemical control, Grasshoppers, Governance, Video	English	APHIS PPQ Science & Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station), United States Department of Agriculture
Overview of the APHIS Rangeland Grasshopper and Moron Cricket Suppression Program	2022		Video, Grasshoppers, Management, Educational video	English	United States Department of Agriculture, APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine
Pest Grasshoppers of the West	2005	View	Management, Species identification	English	University of Wyoming
Protecting U.S. rangeland from grasshoppers and Mormon crickets	2021	View	Outbreaks, Infestations, Mormon crickets, Rangeland management, insecticide	English	United States Department of Agriculture
Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket suppression program	2019	View	Public health, Governance, Culture, Grasshoppers, Economics, Environmental assessment, Life cycle, Biology	English	United States Department of Agriculture
Rangeland Grasshopper Management	1993		Management, Species identification, Control	English	University of Wyoming, Jeffrey Lockwood, Scott Schell
The banded-wing grasshoppers of Idaho	1967	View	Species identification, Distribution, Orthoptera, Biology, Grasshoppers, Key, Overview, Photos	English	George B. Hewitt, William F. Barr
The Grasshoppers of the Western U.S. Lucid mobile app	2016		Management, Species identification	English	APHIS PPQ Science & Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station), United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology of the USDA
UC Integrated Pest Management for Home Gardeners and Landscape Professionals	2013	View	Life cycle, Pesticide management, Management	English	University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program
USDA APHIS grasshopper newspaper bundle from outbreaks in the 1980s	1980s		Bundle, Media article, Newspaper article, Outbreaks, Grasshoppers, Management	English	United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
USDA APHIS historical meeting report collection			APHIS archive 2024, Historical document, Annual report, Uncurated archive, Collection	English	United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
USDA APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology Phoenix Lab Rangeland Unit project summary	2021		Summary, Set, Project, Project report	English, Spanish, French	APHIS PPQ Science & Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (Phoenix Station), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Rangeland portal / Idaho