Kansas
| Kansas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kansas is within: | |
| Country: | United States |
Kansas, located in the central United States, is a predominantly agricultural state characterized by expansive prairies, rolling plains, and a continental climate. These native grassland ecosystems form critical habitats for a wide diversity of Orthoptera, particularly grasshoppers, which play essential ecological roles but can also act as significant agricultural pests.
State ecology
Kansas lies at the intersection of major ecological zones—ranging from tallgrass prairie in the east to mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies in the central and western regions.[1] These native grassland ecosystems form critical habitats for a wide diversity of Orthoptera which play essential ecological roles but can also act as significant agricultural pests.[2][3]
Native grasslands, rangelands, and croplands provide varied habitats that support different species compositions. During dry, warm summers, grasshopper populations can increase rapidly, leading to outbreaks that threaten forage availability and crop yields—particularly in the western and central parts of the state, where semi-arid conditions prevail.
Species gallery
- Highlighted species for Kansas
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Species of management concern
Kansas is home to over 100 grasshopper species, but fewer than 10 are considered economically important. Species such as the differential grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis), the red-legged grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum), and the two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) are commonly implicated in crop damage. These species are highly polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of grasses and broadleaf plants, including alfalfa, soybeans, and wheat.[3]
Despite still having the capacity to threaten agriculture and rangeland, grasshopper populations in Kansas prairies are declining by 2–3% per year. This trend is linked to climate cycles and nutrient dilution—a drop in essential plant nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus as rising CO₂ and wetter conditions boost plant growth. With less nutritious food, grasshopper numbers fall. Unlike habitat loss or pollution, nutrient dilution affects even intact ecosystems and may be a widespread cause of insect declines.[4]
.jpg)
_(9-6-12)_pena_blanca_lake,_scc,_az_-01_(7945106196).jpg)
.jpg)
_in_profile_Mathew_L._Brust.png)
.jpg)
_(43478105211).jpg)
.jpg)
Grasshopper management
Grasshopper management in Kansas incorporates integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that combine monitoring, forecasting, cultural practices, and targeted chemical control. Annual surveys conducted by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Kansas Department of Agriculture help assess population densities and identify high-risk areas.
Cultural control methods include early-season tillage, delayed planting, and the maintenance of healthy vegetative cover to reduce oviposition and nymph survival. Biological control—via natural predators, parasites, and fungal pathogens—also plays a regulatory role, although its impact varies year to year.
Research has emphasized the ecological value of grasshoppers as part of prairie biodiversity, contributing to nutrient cycling and food web dynamics.[5] As grassland conservation gains traction in Kansas through programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), balancing grasshopper management with ecosystem health has become increasingly important.
Featured resource
Select photos from Kansas
No images found for this query -- should be coming soon!
Outbreaks
“Invading millions” of marching nymphs threatening Kansas documented in a 1937. [6]
Organizations
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfalfa insect pest management 2024 | 2024 | Pesticides, Management | English | Kansas State University | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | ||
| Differentiation, ecology, and distribution of immature slant-faced grasshoppers (Acridinae) in Kansas | 1967 | View | Species identification, Grasshopper anatomy, Taxonomy, Nymphs | English | Kansas State University, Merlyn A. Brusven |
| Field Guide to Common Western Grasshoppers | 2002 | Species identification, Field guide | English | United States Department of Agriculture, Robert E. Pfadt | |
| 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 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 | |
| Kansas State University research and extension grasshopper info | 2023 | View | Guide | English | Kansas State University |
| 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 grasshoppers of Kansas, part I | 1915 | View | Species identification, Grasshopper anatomy, Grasshoppers, Biology, Distribution | English | University of Kansas, P.W. Claassen |
| 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 | |
| The more destructive grasshoppers of Kansas | 1897 | View | Species identification, Grasshoppers, Grasshopper anatomy, Crop health, Distribution, Behavior, Monitoring | English | University of Kansas, J.S. Parks |
| 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 |
References
- ↑ U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (2025) Ecoregions of Kansas. U.S. Department of the Interior. https://dmap-prod-oms-edc.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ORD/Ecoregions/ks/ksne_front.pdf
- ↑ Pfadt RE (2002) Field Guide to Common Western Grasshoppers. 3rd edn. Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 912, University of Wyoming, Laramie, 288 pp.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Capinera JL, Scott RD, Walker TJ (2004) Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 249 pp.
- ↑ Welti EAR, Roeder KA, de Beurs KM, Kaspari M (2020) Nutrient dilution and climate cycles underlie declines in a dominant insect herbivore. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 117(13): 7271–7275. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920012117
- ↑ Belovsky GE, Slade JB (2000) Insect herbivory accelerates nutrient cycling and increases plant production. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97: 14412–14417. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.250483797
- ↑ Davis W (1937) Grasshoppers in Colorado and Kansas. Science 86(2219): 9. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.86.2219.9.u