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Case 1115: Plague of Locusts

May 19, 1997

Summary:

KANSAS CITY, Kansas: Swarms of insects (reported as grasshoppers) have been seen in various parts of the state. They have been destroying a small percentage of crops along their various paths. The latests reports indicate sightings of larger swarms than first reported. It is the popular contention that the swarms are uniting. The Legacy has been called in to find out what type of insects these are, where they came from, and what can be done to stop their decimation of crops.

History:

August 1, 1874 A plague of what the townspeople identified as locusts swarmed into a small settlement, Burnt Wagon, Kansas. A man, identified as Ames Ferson, thought he saw a tornado on the horizon and called to his family to get into shelter. The spiral-shaped cloud he saw coming over the horizon was in actuality, a large swarm of some insects (they identified it as a locust because of the biblical connection) that was moving toward his farm. When a rescue team finally reached the family, both parents, Ella and Ames Ferson, were dead. Their three children were found safe in the root cellar. Ella was diagnosed with heart failure; she had been found with the insects swarming over her. They had eaten away a large portion of her dress. Ames committed suicide upon seeing the destruction of his farmstead. The insects consumed aproximately 80,000 tons of food at every stop. They also left eggs in the soil. The attacks continued for four years until an 'unexplainable event' caused them to disappear in 1878. See: Archives - Journals, Related Materials.

Conclusion:

Daniel LeMarque tried to resurrect the dead. The mess left after the the mass death of the mutated locusts still contained usable traces of DNA. LeMarque used the new recombinant DNA techniques to grow his new breed. The combination of true locusts with the spawning cycle of the periodical cicada, and adding to this mix, the simultaneous hatching of the other periodical breeds, created a large and massively destructive assult on not only the current harvest crop, but the possibility of greater problems in years to come. The final outcome of this affair might have been the complete collapse of American-produced agriculture. This particular cross-breed of insects is highly adaptable. Once they ran out of greenery, the prospects are open as to what they would have moved on to. The passage of any more time would have made averting this crisis all but impossible. We believe that all of the mutations have been destroyed, but if even one of the genetically produces locust egg survives, the future ramifications are incalculatable. What LeMarque did not expect was the hive consciousness of his creation. He unleashed something he could not control and did not know how to stop. Some limits of genetic manipulation should not be crossed. The possible is not neccessarily the right. What we do to the world, we do to ourselves - now and in the future. We should all remember that.
Legacy Case: File 1115 Case Status: Closed

RESOURCES:

Locust (insect): common name for a number of jumping insects, especially the true locusts, which are migratory grasshoppers. True locusts damage crops severely wherever they swarm. Control measures include spreading poison bait, plowing under locust eggs, and spraying insecticides on plants. The periodical cicada is also called locust.
Scientific classification: Locusts belong to the order Orthoptera. True locusts belong to the family Acrididae.
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Web-based Research References:

University of Kansas: Lawrence campus
May 26, 1998 Science and technology AFTER 17 YEARS UNDERGROUND, THEY'RE READY TO SING LAWRENCE -- They have been living in the ground as juveniles for the past 16.9 years and are expected to emerge in the last week of May. Once free of the earthly domain, they shed their outer skin -- empty shells litter the area. As adults they have black bodies with red eyes. Soon, the males will emit a high, deafening screeching noise to attract the silent females. They will gather by the millions in many areas with older hardwood trees -- nearly 3 million per hectare. Animals of all kinds -- including dogs, cats, raccoons and birds -- will devour them with a vengeance, leaving only the wings behind. Several weeks after the adults have died -- they may live above ground for four to five weeks -- newborns will literally rain down from the trees where they were born, falling to the earth only to bore into the ground and wait for another 17 years. They are magicicadas, and although their story reads like something from a Stephen King novel, they are not dangerous, unless you're mistaken for a small tree branch. They don't sting or bite -- their mouth parts are used only to feed on twigs. And according to Michael Greenfield, KU entomology chair, three species of cicadas -- periodical cicadas -- are scheduled to make their first appearance in northeast Kansas since 1981. The next emergence of this brood, called number IV, won't be until the 2015. There are 12 broods of 17-year cicadas and three of 13-year cicadas. As a result, periodical cicadas can be found in almost any year somewhere in the country. For example, in 1999 a brood of 17-year periodical cicadas will emerge in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia area, and in 2000 one will emerge in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. "The last time I saw an emergence of a periodical cicada brood was in 1967," Greenfield said. "And what I remember most is the deafening sound that seemed to last a couple of weeks." This will be unusual year, because two geographically adjacent broods, 13-year brood XIX and 17-year brood IV, will emerge together. And in some areas of Missouri, mostly south and east of Kansas City, they could overlap. The last co-emergence was in 1946, and the next won't happen until 2024. A nonmigratory insect -- they seldom move more than a few kilometers from where they emerged -- cicadas are also known as "17-year locusts." But they are not locusts. Locusts are a type of grasshopper, but cicadas are related to leafhoppers and aphids. Regular, or "annual," cicadas should be familiar to Kansans. About 20 species appear each year, emerging in mid- to late summer. But these 17-year cicadas are unique, not only because they spend 16.9 years underground feeding on the sap of tree roots, but because nearly every individual in the brood emerges during the same year every 17 years. There are almost no early risers or latecomers. Greenfield suspects that the extreme synchrony of the emergence serves as a defensive measure. Although birds and other animals will feast on them, the sheer numbers of them almost guarantee their survival from cycle to cycle. After emerging, the cicadas shed their outer shell and spread their wings to dry. At this stage, they are soft and green. After the wings harden, the males begins to emit a loud, high-pitched sound to attract females. With each of the three species of 17-year periodical cicadas emitting its own unique song, the ritual becomes very noisy. The male cicadas tend to form loose aggregations, or "chorus centers," in areas 50 to 100 acres in size, from which they call to attract females. "It's estimated that there will be three million cicadas per hectare, about 2.3 acres," Greenfield said. "And since there is no mass movement of cicadas from one place to another, they will be very loud. "It's an incredible and unique phenomenon," he said. "We can't help but notice it." After mating with from one to several males, the female makes a scar in small branches of trees and deposits 20 or more eggs in each branch. The eggs hatch about six weeks later, and the tiny larval cicadas rain to the ground and burrow down to the roots for another 16.9 years. The natural enemy that wreaks the most havoc on the insect is a fungus whose life cycle is linked to the periodical cicadas and which specializes in attacking them. "While I can't predict the exact locations of chorus centers, the cicadas should be widely dispersed over northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri," he said. "They are found on a variety of hardwood trees." The 17-year cycle makes it very hard to study this species of cicada. Greenfield will take advantage of this rare emergence, recording the mating ritual for the insect acoustic lab at KU's entomology department. Story by Dann Hayes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1998, the University of Kansas Office of University Relations, Lawrence, KS, U.S.A. Images may be reused with notice of copyright, but not altered. KU news releases may be reprinted without permission.

Kansas State University: Horticulture
Hosts: Too numerous to mention. Description: Of the approximately 115 grasshopper species found in Kansas, only 5 are considered to pose serious threats to vegetable crops. Important species include redlegged, migratory, Packard, differential, and two-striped grasshoppers. The differential and two-striped grasshoppers are most frequently encountered by home gardeners and commercial vegetable producers. Adults of the differential and two-striped grasshoppers can be separated from most others by their large size. Adults of both are robust and average 1 ½ to just under 2 inches in length. Differential grasshopper coloration is predominantly yellow and black, and the insects have complete chevrons (V-shaped patterns) on hind leg femurs. Two-striped grasshoppers are basically brownish or grayish. When viewed from above, there are two yellow (or cream colored) stripes running down the top of the head and meeting halfway down the wings. Chevron development on hind leg femurs is incomplete (i.e. dark markings are confined to the upper half). No single "seasonal life history" is applicable to all species of grasshoppers. However, some similarities do exist. For instance, all grasshoppers undergo incomplete metamorphosis. That is, there are three life stages: egg, nymph and adult. Most overwinter underground as fall-laid, banana-shaped eggs contained in pods. Immediately after being deposited, eggs begin to develop until a specific point is reached where diapause prevails. Diapause is described as a state of low metabolic activity which helps some insects survive the rigors of winter. When springtime soil temperatures reach 50 to 55° F, embryonic development resumes. All grasshoppers within an individual pod emerge front their eggs simultaneously. They tunnel up to and emerge from the soil surface where feeding begins. With the exception of their small size and lack of wings. Newly emerged first instar nymphs resemble adult grasshoppers in shape. As nymphs continue to grow and develop, they periodically shed their skins in a process called molting. Eventually, wing pads become apparent. Body size and wing pads increase in size in each succeeding instar, the term for the developmental stages between molts. Alter a final molt, full-sized winged adults appear. Recommendations: The insecticides registered for use against grasshoppers are usually effective against those directly contacted by sprays. However, most have limited residual action and, therefore, must be reapplied in order to eliminate new arrivals. Immature grasshoppers have a somewhat limited range over which they can migrate because they lack wings and therefore must crawl to new food sources. This is the best time to apply insecticides because the grasshoppers are small and clustered together and therefore easy to control. Mature grasshoppers can fly, enabling them to migrate over greater distances. Movements of migrating grasshoppers may be of short or long duration depending on the total number of individuals produced. References: 1. Grasshoppers in the Lawn and Garden, K-State Research and Extension Pub Entomology 487.

VIEWS OF THE PAST: The History of Kansas City, Kansas
JUNE 1 1911 Monument to John Brown unveiled at the townsite of Old Quindaro as part of commencement exercises at Western University. 3 1927 Largest graduating class at Western University -- 114 receive degrees. 4 1861 First Kansas regiment to Civil War mustered at Fort Leavenworth. 1875 Locusts invade Kansas. 6 1952 All three city commissioners indicted on charges of mishandling asphalt purchases.. Charges later dropped. 8 1858 Wyandot Indian village incorporated as a town with 1,259 inhabitants. 13 1844 Biggest flood ever to hit Kansas City, Ks. area; 5 to 10 feet higher than flood of 1951. 14 1878 Moses Grinter, first white settler in Wyandotte County, dies in home over-looking ferry he started 47 years before. 15 1875 Locust invasion leaves Kansas. 19 1859 Beginning of drought of 1859. Lasted from June, 1859, to November, 1860. 20 1907 Kansas City Structural Steel opens at site of old Argentine smelter. 21 1919 Kansas City, Ks. dairies told to clean up facilities or quit business. City inspectors pour out 1,000 gallons of milk in one week. 26 1804 Lewis and Clark Expedition arrives and camps at Kaw Point. Guard given 50

WILLIAM E. CONNELLEY: Kansas historian
Kansas State Historical Society Connelley became secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society in 1914. In the 16 years he was secretary, it was said, "because of his labors and the work of George W. Martin, his predecessor, the state has one of the best preserved historical records in the nation." Among his books, works and collections are: Emmigrant Indian Tribes of Wyandotte County - Delaware, Shawnee, Huron (Wyandotte). History of Kansas - State and People. A Standard of History of Kansas and Kansans - (5 volumes). Wyandotte Folklore. The Journals of Abelard Guthrie and Governor William Walker (Guthrie founded the old town of Quindaro. William Walker was the governor of the Nebraska Territory and a member of the Wyandott Tribe.) Kansas Territorial Governors. Huron Place. Quantrell and the Border Wars. and much more. It was said that Connelley's many historical and biographical volumes constitute the most authentic and comprehensive record of Wyandotte County. A Kansan editorial following his death prophesized, "But 50 years hence his works will have begun to assume their proper place..." Now, as KCK prepares for its Centennial, Connelley's works are a valuable source of information for the early history of the city. KCK PuBlic LIbrary has a large collection of Connelley's books and other works.

Textual References:

Buel, J.W. America's wonderlands. A pictorial and descriptive history of our country's scenic marvels as delineated by pen and camera... More than 500 magnificent photographic views of the majestic mountains, bewildering canons, beautiful waterfalls, curious and weird formations, charming valleys, picturesque lakes, famous caverns, spouting geysers, colossal glaciers, and hundreds of other natural wonders that render America the most famous and beautiful among the nations of the world. Interspersed with history, legend, adventure and entrancing descriptions of the marvelous regions and natural wonders embraced within our vast domain, from Alaska's frigid clime to Florida's summerlands. Philadelphia, Historical publishing co., 1893.
LC CALL NUMBER: E168.B93
LCCN: 02-1386

Hayden, F.V. The great west: its attractions and resources. Containing a popular description of the marvellous scenery, physical geography, fossils, and glaciers of this wonderful region; and the recent explorations in the Yellowstone Park, "the wonderland of America." Bloomington, Ill., C.R. Brodix, 1880.
LC CALL NUMBER: F595.G78
LCCN: rc01-1564

Journal References:

X Dr. Ravyn Skie, MD., PhD.

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