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Sam Penrod ReportingWith the warmer temperatures returning, agriculture experts are warning much of Utah to prepare for another year of infestation with grasshoppers and Mormon crickets. But some high tech help to battle the bugs has arrived.
Small GPS receivers are becoming more common for recreational use, and now the technology is helping pilots to specifically target crickets and grasshoppers. The insects can be devastating to farmers and while they've mostly been in rural areas of Utah, they are moving closer. In Utah County the crickets are beginning to appear, but they are far worse in areas such as Millard County.
Early this morning, crop duster pilots loaded on cricket insecticide, to spray areas that are infested with crickets that are beginning to hatch. Along with the insecticide, the pilots have GPS receivers to help them spray specific areas -- as well as keep them away from sensitive areas, such as campgrounds, streams and neighborhoods.
And what makes this so effective is not only does it guide the pilots to the areas where they should spray, it lets them know precisely what areas were sprayed, and what areas still need the insecticide.
Clint Burfitt, Utah Dept. of Agriculture: "It increases the accuracy so that the planes can fly exactly where they want to; they can avoid sensitive areas. It saves a lot of money because we can do the job with less people. Before it would require a week of preparation out here flagging this block to even do a program like this."
Entomologists predict that four million acres in Utah will be infested with Mormon crickets this year. That's nearly a million more acres than last year.
