A hot, dry summer last year with more moisture this year has led to a growing grasshopper population. (ID 164932504 © Chaloemphon Wanitcharoentham | Dreamstime.com)

By Rob Mahon

Grasshopper Population Growing

More grasshoppers throughout Saskatchewan this summer

Aug 16, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Walking around Prince Albert, you’ve likely noticed more grasshoppers around this summer than last. That’s not just true in this city, either.

Entomologists and farmers in southern Saskatchewan are concerned about the rise in population of the potential pests. The population increase has been evident in Saskatoon and Prince Albert as well.

“It’s easy to see, just walking around the city, just how many more grasshoppers are out right now,” said Sydney Worthy, an entomologist with the City of Saskatoon. “It’s still something we take note of and recognize as an issue.”

According to Worthy, the seeds of this year’s grasshopper population rise were planted last year with a warm summer and early fall. Fast forward to this summer, and we’re seeing the results.

“That led to an increase in the population that we’re seeing this year because of their life cycle,” Worthy said. “They usually start coming out as adults mid-summer and then come out to breed late summer and then lay their eggs getting into late summer and fall.”

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On its own, the warm weather last summer is a good starting point for a larger grasshopper population. This summer brought in the final ingredients in the mixture to make the population really swell, so the past two years have been exactly the right combination for grasshoppers.

“Because this year we’ve had more water than last year, the crops are doing a little better, the native foliage that we have around is growing better as well,” said Worthy. “That’s a food source for the grasshoppers. So that’s also helping them sustain that population.”

The good news is, if you live in the city there isn’t too much to worry about with grasshoppers. They’re a food source for birds, so there might be more birds around. But for those in rural areas, especially farmers, a rise in the grasshopper population is no small thing.

“They’ll eat a lot of grain crops, so that’s the biggest concern,” said Worthy. “If they can ever get to big enough population size, they can even compete with livestock on range land areas for grasses that are eaten by cattle. That’s a very extreme circumstance, but it can happen.”

Worthy added that the total grasshopper population isn’t something her city tracks to an exact level but it’s apparent just from walking around that there are more of them this year than last.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP