Project introduction · PestMAP

Exploring pest patterns.
Supporting research.

Explore predicted pest density, environmental context, and changes over time across the western United States.

Pest monitoringSpatial predictionsLong-term dynamics

About the project

PestMAP is designed to support geospatial monitoring and prediction of agricultural pest activity. The current version focuses on Mormon cricket density estimates and related environmental factors across selected western U.S. states.

Using PestMAP

Use Pest Information to review pest descriptions and reference images. In WebGIS Map, select the pest type, year, state, environmental factor, and boundary layer to compare density estimates with environmental context. Click a climate division or county to view sampling number, average density, maximum density, and the subregion time series. Use Pest Dynamics to animate density patterns across years and selected states.

Data And Tools

Estimated pest density layers hosted in ArcGIS Online.
Environmental layers including precipitation, soil moisture, temperature, days 20-35 °C, NDVI, elevation, slope, aspect, and TRI.
Climate division and county boundaries for regional summaries.
Sampling number, average density, and maximum density summaries with interactive time-series charts.
Playback tools for visualizing year-to-year pest density dynamics.

With appreciation

Acknowledgements

This project uses survey-derived pest information, environmental datasets, and ArcGIS Online map services to support research, visualization, and decision-making. Funding provided by USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

University of Colorado Boulder

Department of Geography

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Funding provided by APHIS & ARS

Publicly available boundary, environmental, and topographic datasets were used to develop this application. The Mormon cricket survey data used for model development were provided, in part, through a Material Transfer Research Agreement with USDA APHIS and remain the sole property of USDA APHIS. The density estimates and predictive maps presented herein are model-derived products intended for research and educational purposes and do not constitute a release of the underlying survey records. Basemap layers are provided through publicly available web mapping services.

Developed by Di Wu, Department of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder.

Version 1.0 | Updated June 2026

For questions or comments, please contact: diwu8132@colorado.edu.

Research behind PestMAP

Publications

Explore research on pest distributions, environmental drivers, and population dynamics.

2026 · Journal articleOpen access

Modeling the spatiotemporal dynamics of Mormon crickets across the western United States using Bayesian species distribution models

Di Wu, Robert Srygley, Guiye Li, and Guofeng Cao

Ecological Informatics, 98, 103989 · September 2026

Uses Bayesian models and 2002–2020 survey data to estimate Mormon cricket density at 1 km resolution across Wyoming, Nevada, and Idaho, examining how environmental conditions relate to population patterns.

Mormon cricket
Species distribution models
Environmental drivers

Read open-access paper (opens in a new tab)DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2026.103989

Pest Information

Select Pest Type

Select a photograph to enlarge it.

Species profile

Mormon Cricket

Agricultural concerns

Prediction coverage

Predicted pest density

WebGIS Map

Choose a region on the map to explore its summary.

Pest dynamics · Predicted density

Density over time

Explore annual patterns across selected states.

Exploring pest patterns.Supporting research.