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Relationship between Grasshopper Abundance and Weather Conditions in Saskatchewan, 1930-19581

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Roy L. Edwards
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Extract

The statement of Criddle (1917) that grasshopper outbreaks are associated with periods of dry weather has been repeated by many authors, but a close relationship has never been demonstrated.

Parker (1933) showed that at six localities in the United States grasshopper outbreaks during the period 1915-1933 had been preceded by periods of two to four years when either rainfall had been below normal during May-June or temperature had been above normal during July-September. Similarly Smith (1954) concluded that between 1910 and 1953 outbreaks in Kansas had been preceded by two years of sub-normal rainfall. Parker's charts show that grasshopper outbreaks generally followed periods of hot weather, but the charts of both authors show that only about half the time did outbreaks follow periods of dry weather – a situation that could be largely due to chance.

MacCarthy (1956) calculated the correlation coefficients between weather factors and populations of M. bilituratus (Walker) in five large areas of Saskatchewan during the period 1943-1952. His tables show generally insignificant correlation with total precipitation and only with mean minimum monthlv temperature in June of the previous year was there significant correlation in all five areas.

The present investigation was undertaken in an attempt to determine whether a sufficiently close relationship between grasshopper populations and climate could be found for use in predicting grasshopper outbreaks.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 92 , Issue 8 , August 1960 , pp. 619 - 624
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1960

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References

Canada Department of Transport, Meteorological Division. 1930–1956. Monthly record, meteorological observations in Canada.Google Scholar
Canada Department of Transport, Meteorological Division. 1957–1958. Monthly weather map.Google Scholar
Criddle, N. 1917. Popular and practical entomology. Precipitation in relation to insect prevalence and distribution. Can. Ent. 49: 77–80.Google Scholar
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Parker, J. R. 1933. Factors largely responsible for years of grasshopper abundance. Proc. World's Grain Exhibition and Conf. Canada. 2: 472–473.Google Scholar
Smith, R. C. 1954. An analysis of 100 years of grasshopper populations in Kansas (1854 to 1954). Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 57: 397–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar