{"id":3706,"date":"2022-07-08T10:21:01","date_gmt":"2022-07-08T14:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=3706"},"modified":"2022-07-08T10:21:01","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T14:21:01","slug":"are-the-end-times-near-biblical-swarms-of-insects-plague-western-us-crops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2022\/07\/are-the-end-times-near-biblical-swarms-of-insects-plague-western-us-crops.html","title":{"rendered":"Are The End Times Near? Biblical Swarms of Insects Plague Western US Crops"},"content":{"rendered":"

Farmers in the American West are battling outbreaks of Mormon\u00a0crickets, insects\u00a0that can grow almost three inches in length. In the past few years, the crickets and grasshoppers have destroyed swathes of crops as officials spend millions trying to control the swarms, according to the\u00a0Associated Press<\/em><\/a>. This swarm has many wondering if this is a sign of the End Times.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0climate crisis\u00a0may be partly to blame. The insects prefer hotter temperatures and droughts, conditions linked to global heating. These outbreaks can be extraordinary, as the species often travel in groups of millions or billions of individual insects, says the\u00a0US Department of Agriculture\u00a0(USDA).<\/p>\n

One rancher told\u00a0AP\u00a0<\/em>that the swarms have been \u201ctruly biblical.\u201d Mormon crickets, technically a species of flightless katydids and not official crickets, got their name after they ravaged crops planted by Mormon settlers in 19th century Utah.<\/p>\n

\"mormon
Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As they spread across the country, the insects devour vegetation, damaging crops and even changing erosion patterns, water runoff, and nutrient cycling\u00a0says USDA. Last year, the species destroyed 10 million acres in Oregon, which has been\u00a0especially hard-hit\u00a0by the species by Mormon crickets and grasshoppers.<\/p>\n

Residents of affected areas describe roads slick with the remains of squished insects and fields damaged by the hungry creatures. One Oregon rancher told\u00a0AP<\/em>\u00a0that her land is \u201ccrawling with grasshoppers\u201d and that she had to spend tens of thousands of dollars on hay last year to make up for fields lost to the insects.<\/p>\n

In response, officials have taken to spraying fields with pesticides. USDA says the preferred option is to spray only some field sections to reduce populations while leaving other areas untouched. Oregon has also allocated millions of dollars to Mormon cricket and grasshopper suppression for private landowners.<\/p>\n

State officials can survey farms and ranches and recommend spraying if they find more than three Mormon crickets or eight grasshoppers per yard \u2013 with landowners reimbursed for much of the pesticide costs.<\/p>\n

But some environmental organizations have raised objections to pesticide use. Last month, the Xerces Society, which focuses on insect conservation, and the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity sued one arm of the USDA over the spraying program.<\/p>\n

According to the Oregon state government, Mormon cricket outbreaks can follow\u00a0drought\u00a0conditions, as warm weather and a lack of rainfall help the insects hatch and survive. The US West is currently amid a decades-long \u201cmegadrought\u201d that has dried up water resources and challenged farming and ranching operations across the region.<\/p>\n

These dry conditions are expected to worsen as the climate crisis deepens. Droughts are expected to become more frequent and intense\u00a0as the planet heats up. Some would say that these Mormon crickets are another sign that the End Times are near. With the earth getting hotter by the day and climate change ravaging the planet, all we can do is pray.<\/p>\n

We know that our life in the world will end someday, but we\u2019re not ready for it to end just yet. However, the decision, unfortunately, isn\u2019t up to us. It\u2019s in the Lord\u2019s hands, so we must trust He knows what He will do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Farmers in the American West are battling outbreaks of Mormon\u00a0crickets, insects\u00a0that can grow almost three inches in length. In the past few years, the crickets and grasshoppers have destroyed swathes of crops as officials spend millions trying to control the swarms, according to the\u00a0Associated Press. This swarm has many wondering if this is a sign…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,57],"tags":[906,331],"class_list":["post-3706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-end-times","tag-end-times-near","tag-plague"],"yoast_head":"\nAre The End Times Near? Biblical Swarms of Insects Plague Western US Crops<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 'biblical' swarm of Mormon crickets are ravaging crops in the Western United States. 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