Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Pest Management Research » PMRU Docs » Grasshoppers: Their Biology, Identification and Management: » Management » Environmental Side Effects
Environmental Side Effects
headline bar

Environmental Side Effects of Grasshopper Control: Nontarget Effects and Ecotoxicology Information   

Though insecticide spray programs can effectively reduce grasshopper densities in the short term, they also blanket the rangeland habitat and expose nontarget animal life to the chemicals.  Investigations described in this section examine the complex ecological impacts of grasshopper control on nontarget life.

USDA-APHIS Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program - Environmental Impact Statement 

2002 (pdf, 21 Mb)

An overview of the environmental consequences of diflubenzuron (Dimilin 2L), carbaryl (Sevin XLR) and malathion (Fyfanon) use to human health, terrestrial invertebrates, terrestrial vertebrates and aquatic invertebrates is presented in Chapter V.  Appendix B (62 pages) discusses non-target species risk assessment in great detail, with a bibliography on non-target studies in Appendix D.

Impacts of Rangeland Grasshopper Insecticide Treatments on Biological Control Agents (Apthona) of Leafy Spurge, Euphorbia esula L in Western North Dakota

By R. Nelson Foster et al. (pdf)

IPM Handbook

Section III. Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation ~1996

Chapters examining the effects of grasshopper treatments on nontarget organisms and the environment, including monitoring techniques. (All pdfs) 

  1. Introduction - L. C. McEwen
  2. Direct and Indirect Effects of Grasshopper Integrated Pest Management Chemicals and Biologicals on Nontarget Animal Life - L. C. McEwen, C. M. Althouse, and B. E. Petersen
  3. Impact of Control Programs on Nontarget Arthropods - Mark A. Quinn
  4. Direct and Indirect Effects of Insecticides on Native Bees - D. G. Alston and V. J. Tepedino
  5. The Reproductive Biology of Rare Rangeland Plants and Their Vulnerability to Insecticides - Vincent J. Tepedino
  6. Grasshopper Treatment Effects on Aquatic Communities - D. W. Beyers and L. C. McEwen
  7. Bioindicator Species for Evaluating Potential Effects of Pesticides on Threatened and Endangered Wildlife - L. C. McEwen, B. E. Petersen, and C. M. Althouse
  8. Buffer Zones: Their Purpose and Significance in Grasshopper Control Programs - L. K. Winks, L. C. McEwen, R. N. Foster, Mike W. Sampson, Michael Green, and V. J. Tepedino
  9. Environmental Monitoring of Grasshopper Control Programs - Michael T. Green

Section VII.3  Impact of Dimilin® on Nontarget Arthropods and Its Efficacy Against Rangeland Grasshoppers 

Michael A. Catangui, Billy W. Fuller, and Arnie W. Walz  (IPM Handbook)

Grasshopper Ecotoxicology Publications From Dan Johnson, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada 

Johnson, D.L., Smits, J.S., Jaronski, S.T., and Weaver, D.K., 2002, Assessment of health and growth of ring-necked pheasants following consumption of infected insects or conidia of entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae var acridum and Beauveria bassiana, from Madagascar and North America. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 65: 2145-2162.

Lomer, C.J., Bateman, R.P., Johnson, D.L., Langewald, J., and Thomas, M.B., 2001, Biological control of locusts and grasshoppers. Annual Review of Entomology 46: 667-702.

Martin, P.A., Johnson, D.L., Forsyth, D.J., and Hill, B., 2000, Effects of two grasshopper control insecticides on the food resources and reproductive success of two species of grassland songbird. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 19: 2987-2996

Smits, J.E., Johnson, D.L., and Lomer, C., 1999, Pathological and physiological responses of ring-necked pheasant chicks following dietary exposure to the fungus Metarhizium flavoviride, a biocontrol agent for grasshoppers in Africa. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 35: 194-203.

Martin, P.A., Johnson, D.L., Forsyth, D.J., and Hill, B.D., 1998, Indirect effects of the pyrethroid insecticide, deltamethrin on reproductive success of Chestnut-collared Longspurs. Ecotoxicology 7: 89-97.

Martin, P.A., Johnson, D.L., and Forsyth, D.J., 1996, Effects of grasshopper control insecticides on survival and brain acetylcholinesterase of pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) chicks. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15: 518-524.

Gregory, D.A., Johnson, D.L., and Thompson, B.H., 1993, The toxicity of bran baits, formulated with carbaryl, chlorpyrifos and dimethoate, on nontarget yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). Journal of Agricultural Entomology 11: 85-94.

Gregory, D.A., Johnson, D.L., and Thompson, B.H., 1992, The impact of bran baits treated with the insecticides carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, and dimethoate on the survivorship and reproductive success of non-target mouse populations. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 45: 95-103.

Gregory, D.A., Johnson, D.L., Thompson, B.H., and Richards, K.W., 1992, Laboratory evaluation of the effects of carbaryl and chlorpyrifos baits and sprays on Alfalfa Leafcutting Bees (Megachile rotundata F.). Journal of Agricultural Entomology 9: 109-115

Johnson, D.L., 1992, Ecology, biology, field experimentation and environmental impact. In: C. Lomer & C. Prior (eds). Biological Control of Locusts and Grasshoppers, CAB International, Wallingford, UK, pp. 267-278.

Environmental and Health Effects of Locust Control – An Annotated Bibliography 

Updated June 2003 by Harold Van der Valk (pdf)

A large number of publications dealing with the environmental side-effects of locust- and grasshopper control in (semi-)arid and (sub-)tropical environments have been listed below. Most of these studies were carried out in Africa and Australia; a few studies from North America and Central Asia were also included. No quality criteria have been used for inclusion in the list.

Locust Literature Database from the International Society for Pest Information (ISPI)

Originally provided as a CD, this information is now available online as part of the "Pest Information Wiki" (https://wiki.pestinfo.org/wiki/Main_Page) organized by the International Society for Pest Information (ISPI). The ISPI Wiki includes 182863 research publications and other information on pests, diseases and weeds, including locusts and other grasshopper/orthoptera species.

Other References

A literature review and new observations on the use of diflubenzuron for control of locusts and grasshoppers throughout the world. 2002. R. Tim Weiland et al. Journal of Orthoptera Research 11: 43–54.
 

ABSTRACT:  The insect growth regulator diflubenzuron (Dimilin®) is used to control locusts and grasshoppers on rangeland and croplands worldwide. Ingestion of diflubenzuron by immature insects results in disruption of chitin formation and deposition that affects the cuticle and the molting process. Symptoms of diflubenzuron intoxication include: death, physical abnormalities (such as loss of limbs), lethargy and cessation of feeding. Field trials with diflubenzuron on grasslands are reported in this paper and support previously published work showing it to be effective in broadcast treatments or alternating swaths and barriers. Affected insects were observed 3 d after application but maximum control of populations occurred by 14 d. Low grasshopper population counts the year after application suggested fewer eggs hatched from adults exposed to diflubenzuron. This bears out results of earlier laboratory and small-scale experiments. Diflubenzuron applications to rangeland did not seriously affect the populations of nontarget arthropods.