Brad Stokes

Idaho's ongoing battle with Mormon crickets

Mormon crickets have long threatened Idaho's crops and rangelands, and their unpredictable population cycles complicate control efforts. If you're dealing with these pests this year, contact your local extension agent.

July 11, 2024

Brad Stokes and Jason Thomas

While the eastern U.S. gets bombarded with large broods of cicadas this year, here in the West we face an ongoing threat that’s more than just noise – relentless swarms of Mormon crickets infesting parts of the state.

Threats and impacts of invasive organisms on Idaho's ecosystems and economy

Invasive species often bring harmful impacts to new areas, costing governments billions per year. Recent findings in Idaho, like the quagga mussel and emerald ash borer, highlight ongoing efforts to address these invasive threats.

April 18, 2024

Brad Stokes and Cheyanne Myers

Invasive organisms can, and often do, cause adverse consequences to their newly introduced range. In terms of the finances of countries, states, regional/local governments spend billions of dollars per year trying to manage, control and/or eradicate invasive organisms.

Ticks, pathogens and livestock in Idaho

April 10, 2023

Brad Stokes and Cheyanne Myers

If there's just something "off" about an animal, have you checked for ticks?

The red fire bug, another invasive insect

September 16, 2022

Brad Stokes

The “murder hornet,” Vespa madarinia, invasion of western Washington and southwestern British Columbia began in 2020 and continued during 2021.

Integrated pest management in ag’s modern era

August 25, 2022

Brad Stokes

Integrated pest management (IPM) was first implemented in modern-era agricultural operations during the 1970s, shortly after Silent Spring was written by Rachel Carson in the early 1960s.

Water isn’t a bottomless pit: The aquifer and reservoir sustainability of southwestern Idaho

April 10, 2022

Brad Stokes

It’s no secret that Elmore County contains the critically important watersheds for southwestern Idaho, encompassing most of the Boise Water Basin Range and the totality of several reservoirs (Anderson Ranch, Little Camas, Long Tom and Mountain Home) and parts of two other reservoir systems (Arrowrock and Lucky Peak).

A new invasive insect in Idaho

January 1, 2022

Brad Stokes

During mid-October of 2021, I was finishing up some routine lawn grass management in my backyard in Mountain Home, Idaho, when I stumbled upon a few unique insects I had never seen before.