There's a bug near the Tri-Cities causing quite a nuisance. The question is this bug headed to Washington State next?

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Insects are just a fact of life and in most instances are vital for life on the planet Earth. Do you recall ice worms and murder hornets?

There is one insect causing quite a stir near the Tri-Cities and that's in Arlington Oregon.

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My wife's family is from Condon Oregon and owns a century-old wheat farm up on the hills outside of Arlington Oregon. I'm sure they had to deal with this invasive species that can cause serious damage to crops and fields.

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The bug in question is the "Mormon Cricket". These aren't any ordinary insects, they can grow up to two inches in length and are easy to identify.

Mormon Crickets got their name back in the 1800s as these bugs destroyed massive crops for the Mormon settlers in Utah.

Arlington Oregon has an overabundance of these bugs, so much that an outbreak in 2017, left the roads greasy with entrails according to an article from the Associated Press.

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Oregon has implemented several programs to "suppress" the spread of the bugs which have been spotted as far away as Montana.

Environmental groups are worried about the mass usage of pesticides to fight the invasive species which has left farmers frustrated since the pests can destroy entire crops.

The good news for farmers is that the Oregon State Department Of Agriculture has a program in place that'll allow farmers to get assistance in eradicating the bugs from their farms if they meet the criteria.

There's no easy solution from both sides of the aisle as farmers need to protect their crops and environmentalists feel that eradicating all of the bugs will leave other wildlife starving if you take away their food supply.

So far, according to the AP article, only Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona have requested treatment for overflowing Mormon Crickets.

It looks Washington State is off the hook...for now.

You can read more about the cricket infestation here. 

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