Dry years seem to favor survival of which pest that can damage the crop from mid- to late summer?

• A. Alfalfa weevil
• B. Grasshopper
• C. Garden webworm
• D. Cowpea aphid

Answer: (B)

Weather, especially heat and moisture levels, drives which pests survive and when they cause damage. In dry years, grasshoppers tolerate the hot, barren conditions and often reach high numbers because vegetation is sparse and plant defenses are stressed. As midsummer moves into late summer, these large populations move into crops and feed on leaves, causing noticeable defoliation and yield loss. That combination—dry conditions plus a mid- to late-summer feeding window—makes grasshoppers the pest most favored by dry years.

Alfalfa weevil is typically a spring issue on young alfalfa and doesn’t align with drought-driven outbreaks. Cowpea aphid and garden webworm are more tied to other conditions and times of year, so they don’t fit the drought-plus-mid-to-late-summer damage pattern as well.