Nevada grasshopper infestation may be worse in 2011
By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal
After Nevada’s worst grasshopper infestation in up to 20 years hit last summer, ranchers and agriculture officials are bracing for a return of the insects next year.
It’s unknown if the problem will be as severe, but officials have rectified a situation that prevented them from spraying infested federal land as grasshoppers gobbled valuable range, said Jeff Knight, state entomologist.
“Everything is in line. We shouldn’t have any more hiccups,” Knight said.
Up to 300,000 acres of public and private land — including alfalfa fields — were overrun by grasshoppers last summer, with the problem peaking in July. Hard hit areas included areas near Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Paradise Valley and south of Ely, Knight said.