ABSTRACT
Crop pests are among our oldest adversaries, becoming critical threats to human food production at the advent of the agricultural revolution. Insect outbreaks are capable of causing devastating losses of food or other resources and have led to substantial expenditures for pest control. Agricultural crops are particularly vulnerable to insects and other pests because of their widespread planting in monocultures of single species, with little genetic diversity to force insects to search for more suitable hosts. Herbivorous insects can be specialists, feeding on only one or a few related plant species, or generalists, feeding on a wide range of plant species. Mole crickets are characterized by having two sharp claws and a blade-like process with a sharp edge on their forelegs for burrowing in sandy soil, usually in the upper 10", the depth depending on temperature and soil moisture. The corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea is among the most economically destructive agricultural pests in North America.
