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ISDA reports Mormon cricket outbreaks in Idaho

 Mormon crickets crawl on a structure.
Bruce Fingerhood
/
Flickr Creative Commons

Drivers in some parts of Idaho are finding the roads covered with bugs, Mormon crickets to be exact.

And while these insects can be inconvenient for drivers, farmers and ranchers are in a different boat entirely. These long-horned grasshoppers can pose an extreme threat to the livelihood of those who rely on agriculture to make a living.

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture has declared outbreaks in four Idaho counties and dozens of farmers have already asked for help from the state. Invasive Species Program Bureau Chief Nic Zurfluh joined Idaho Matters to help us better understand this problem and the bugs that are causing it.

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As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.