Observations on the Distribution of Grasshopper Egg-pods in Western Canadian Stubble Fields

Abstract

The egg-laying habits of the pest species of grasshoppers in Western Canada have been known, in their essential characteristics, since the work of Criddle (1920). Methods used in routine surveys in the Prairie Provinces have been based on this knowledge since 1932, when surveys as they are now known were first made. For example, the habit of the principal pest species, Melanoplus mexicanus mexicanus (Sauss.), of distributing its egg-pods widely in fields of ripening or harvested small grains, and not in native grasslands or highly restricted, selected sites, was known. Likewise, the habit of another important grasshopper, Camnula pellucida (Scudd.), of concentrating its eggs in areas of native sod adjoining cultivated fields was recognized.