Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are common insects that can cause significant damage to gardens, crops, and landscapes. While they play a role in the ecosystem as food for birds and other predators, their feeding habits can make them a major pest, especially in large numbers.

Identification

• Appearance: Grasshoppers have long, slender bodies with large hind legs adapted for jumping. They range in color from green to brown and can grow up to 2-3 inches long, depending on the species.
• Behavior: Grasshoppers are primarily herbivores, feeding on a wide variety of plants. They are most active during the day and can move quickly by jumping or flying.
• Lifecycle: Grasshoppers undergo gradual metamorphosis, with three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. They lay eggs in the soil in late summer or fall, which hatch into nymphs in the following spring.

Impact on Plants

• Defoliation: Grasshoppers can cause extensive defoliation by eating leaves, stems, and even flowers of plants. In severe infestations, they can strip entire plants of foliage.
• Crops: They are particularly damaging to crops like wheat, corn, alfalfa, and vegetables. Their feeding can reduce yields and damage the quality of produce.
• Landscaping: Grasshoppers can also damage ornamental plants, shrubs, and trees in gardens and landscapes.

Prevention and Control Methods

1. Cultural Controls
   • Early Planting: Planting crops early in the season can allow plants to mature before grasshopper populations peak.
   • Row Covers: Use floating row covers on young plants to physically protect them from grasshoppers.
2. Biological Controls
   • Natural Predators: Encourage birds, spiders, and other natural predators to help control grasshopper populations. Chickens and guinea fowl are particularly effective at eating grasshoppers.
   • Nosema locustae: This is a biological control agent, a naturally occurring protozoan that infects grasshoppers. It’s available as a bait and can reduce grasshopper numbers over time, particularly in larger areas. Patience is essential as it can take years to bring grasshopper populations down by this method.
3. Chemical Controls
   • Insecticides: Various insecticides are effective against grasshoppers, including carbaryl, permethrin, and spinosad. Apply these according to the label instructions, focusing on areas where grasshoppers are feeding or emerging.
   • Baits: Insecticidal baits can be spread around gardens and fields to target grasshoppers as they feed. These baits are often less harmful to beneficial insects and other non-target species.
4. Mechanical Controls
   • Mowing: Timely mowing of your yard can reduce grasshopper populations. Shorter vegetation is also less attractive to grasshoppers. 
5. Monitoring and Early Detection
   • Regular Inspections: Regularly inspect your garden or crops for signs of grasshopper activity. Look for feeding damage on leaves and stems.
   • Egg Surveys: In the fall, check for egg pods in the soil. They look like small, cylindrical clusters buried just below the surface.

Challenges in Grasshopper Control

• Mobility: Grasshoppers are highly mobile, which makes controlling them difficult. Even if you manage to reduce their numbers in your garden, new grasshoppers can easily migrate from nearby areas.
• Wide Host Range: Grasshoppers feed on a wide variety of plants, making it hard to protect all crops or garden plants without comprehensive management.

Long-Term Management

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Combining cultural, biological, and chemical controls in an IPM approach can be the most effective way to manage grasshopper populations over the long term.
• Community Efforts: Grasshoppers can cover large areas, so coordinated control efforts with neighbors or local agricultural groups can be more effective than isolated actions