found with densities of up to 100 individuals per square meter. These infestations may last years or even decades, and are characterized by a gradual increase and then decrease in population. The factors that trigger these infestations are poorly understood, but are thought to be weather-related. Research published in 2006 shows that Mormon crickets move in these migratory bands, firstly to find new sources of the critical nutrients of protein and salt, and secondly to avoid being eaten by hungry crickets approaching from the rear. The Mormon cricket's cannibalistic behavior may lead to swarm behavior because crickets may need to move constantly forward to avoid attacks from behind. When a large band crosses a road, it can create a safety hazard by causing distracted revulsion on the part of the driver, and by causing the road surface to become slick with crushed crickets. The crickets also can cause devastation to agriculture. Diet The Mormon cricket shows a marked preference for forbs, but grasses and shrubs such as sagebrush are also consumed. Mormon crickets also eat insects, including other Mormon crickets (especially individuals that have been killed or injured by automobiles or insecticides). Cannibalistic behavior may be a result of protein and salt deficiency; swarming behavior may in turn be a strategy to avoid predation by other Mormon crickets. A journal documenting an 1846 journey along the Oregon Trail describes an encounter with the crickets and notes their cannibalistic behavior: The ground, for a strip of about four miles, was covered with black crickets of a large size. I saw some that were about three inches in length, and measuring about three-fourths of an inch in diameter; but the common size were two inches in length and one-half or five-eighths of an inch in diameter; their legs were large in proportion to the size of their bodies. Some were singing on stalks of wild sage; others crawling in every direction. Our teams made great havoc among them; so numerous were they that we crushed them at every step. As soon as one was killed, others of them would alight upon it and devour it. Control Mormon crickets are preyed upon by a wide variety of birds and mammals. These predators include California gulls, crows, coyotes and various rodents. There are no predators that specialize on Mormon crickets, which may be explained by the cricket's migratory habits and large population fluctuations. Gordius