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Grasshoppers, when they are adults, usually has a maximum length of 2 inches. While green is the most popular color, there are also some that are brown or yellow. From their physical features, the most noticeable are perhaps their long and strong legs, which provide them with the capacity to travel at great distances in search for their next target. They also have large head and eyes. Their body appears like a stick and they have wide shoulders.
Generally, they exist in two varieties. The first one is Tettigoniidae, also known as long-horned grasshoppers. They have a green body and long wings. The second variety is short-horned grasshoppers, which have short and heavy antennae.
A Grasshopper is Eating the Leaves
Grasshopper’s Habitat
As long as there is vegetation, grasshoppers will most likely survive. Whether in the garden or in the woodlands, grasshoppers can spread damage. For commercial growers, they can damage up to 60% of the available crop during the harvest season. They are more common in places where there is dry climate. They are common in stubble and weedy grain fields. You will find them on the top of the leaves.
Identifying Grasshopper’s Damage
Plants Affected
Grasshoppers are general feeders, which means that they can eat almost any plant that they come in contact with. Some of the most common hosts include onions, carrots, corn, beans, lettuce, cotton, lentils, clover, canola, alfalfa, and winter wheat. Their population is also high in hayfields and pastures.
Symptoms
Below are some of the most common symptoms of grasshopper infestation:
- Among others, you have to look at the leaves to determine possible infestation. They will have holes in the middle or crooks on the edges, which is a result of chewing. This affects the nutrients that the plant gets and can be a reason for it to die before it even fully matures.
- On the leaves of the plant, you will also notice dark droppings from the grasshopper, which may appear like fecal matter.
- You also have to look at the fruits of the plant. If there are any abnormalities, this can be another sign that grasshoppers are present, although it is wrong to assume that the latter is the only problem. In most cases, like the leaves, grasshoppers can also chew the fruits.
- When the damage is severe, they can also lead to defoliation. One of the crops most susceptible to this is corn. Grasshoppers will start feeding on the leaves and silks. Before you even know it, only the barren stalks are retained.
Results of Infestation
For small gardens at home, the damages from grasshoppers will not be as devastating. The infestation is more drastic in commercial plantations. Because of the chewing parts in the mouth of this pest, they will cause visible damages to the crop. This negatively affects its aesthetics, and in the end, will make it unmarketable and no longer fit for consumption. In major outbreaks, they can be present for more than a year and will lead to significant financial losses amongst farmers. The severity of the damages, however, will be dependent on a number of factors, such as the effectiveness of the control measures and how healthy the crop is.
Leaves Damaged by Grasshopper
How to Get Rid of Grasshoppers
Natural and Organic Solutions
Looking for the best ways to get rid of grasshoppers naturally? Below are some of the solutions that might work:
- Among others, one of the most promising is encouraging the presence of natural predators, which will do most of the work for you. There is no need to manually pick grasshoppers. Chickens are amongst the best to have. With their heavy appetite, they will eat a lot of grasshoppers. Friendly birds and yellow jackets are also equally effective in getting rid of adult grasshoppers. On the other hand, to control them even before the eggs hatch, you can consider having parasitic flies and blister beetles.
- There are also natural sprays that you can easily make at the comfort of your own home. They can kill grasshoppers but will not affect beneficial insects. They will also not harm the environment in any way. One that you can make is garlic spray. A highic spray. a in any way. onich . presngst supme wherein the population of grasshoppers is at its highest. fereably, concentration is necessary to make it effective.
- You can also add other plants with natural properties that can repel grasshoppers. Some of the perfect examples of this are pot marigold and cilantro. They can act as barriers or protective coverings for plants that are prone to infestation of grasshoppers.
- Flour is another solution that is effective. All that you need to do is to dust the plants affected with grasshopper with flour. It will block their mouth, and hence, preventing eating. See to it that the flour does not contain salt so that it will not damage your plants.
- Growing tall grass is another easy solution to address the problem. With this, they will feed on the grass instead of the plants that you have in the garden. In some instances, however, you will need to take out weed on the surface as it often attracts grasshoppers.
Chemical Solutions
In most instances, it is too late before you realize how damaging grasshoppers are. After their invasion, there is little that you can do to save the plants or crops. With this, if you are resorting into chemical control, make sure to do this early on. It is more of a preventive measure than an act to eliminate grasshoppers that are already present. If it is windy, avoid spraying chemicals as it can reach places that you should not treat. Amongst the different active ingredients, diflubenzuron is one of the most common, which causes the body of the grasshopper to turn hard, and eventually, will cause its death.
How to Prevent Grasshoppers
When it comes to the measures of prevention, cultural control is perhaps the most popular. With this, one promising solution is early seeding. Although this is not a guarantee that it will not be a target for grasshoppers, at the very least, the likelihood of infestation is at a minimum. Another solution is crop rotation, especially during a time wherein the population of grasshoppers is at its highest. Cultivating the soil or tillage is also helpful.
In an agricultural country like mine we could use this. Farmers in particular can use this because the crops are attacked by pest.
I recommend placing BIRDS yes BIRDS. I say that because it balances things out.
I like it that you have given advice how to combat grasshoppers using products we have at home like making garlic spray and dusting flour. Whoever thought that chickens can also help with pest control 🙂
A lot of my crops at home were damaged by grasshoppers. The swarm has consumed the leaves! I resorted to chemical warfare! Now I know that chemicals are best used as a prevention.
Grasshoppers have not been a problem as most of my plants are of indoor variety. However, there are some creepers out there which are planted in the backyard. I have noticed grasshoppers to roam around, but fortunately, they are not bulk in number. Nonetheless, I can try to keep some Marigold pot nearby to shoo away whatever they are there.
This is a very helpful article. I always encounter difficulties growing my plants because of these bugs and I can’t get rid of them. I will surely follow these recommendations of yours, I hope to eliminate them as soon as possible. Thanks!
I honestly thought grasshoppers are good for the environment — come to think of it, I don’t know why! I could see how they have negative effect on commercial plantations, though. And it’s a good thing there are natural ways to get rid of grasshoppers, not just chemicals.
I didn’t know that grasshoppers are actually pests. I thought the caterpillars are the ones doing that to my plants. Whew! Thanks! This is really helpful.
OMG yes, it’s a serious issue. My plants at home are attacked by these monsters. Diflubenzuron is the next try.
Grasshoppers are pesky. They destroyed my rose garden once. It’s good that we have free range chickens in the yard.
This is a very helpful article. Very informative for those who have gardens or plants who can’t get rid of grasshoppers.
I like this blog. You guys share your experience and therefore helping other people too.
I always had thought that grasshoppers were harmless. I have seen many of them jumping by the bushes on one side of my garden. Your article resulted helpful at becoming aware of this little green insects.
A very helpful article on how to avoid grasshopper manifestation on your plants. Kudos to the author on sharing the information and helping the co-gardeners in this issue.
Grasshoppers can be very annoying when you are keeping a garden or crops, it is one of the worst pest out there in my opinion. Thanks for the article anyway, there was so much more that I didn’t know bout them before.
Grasshoppers are not as creepy as caterpillars, but they are as damaging I suppose. But I don’t want to kill them you see, so thank you for providing a lot of alternatives in getting rid of them.
I never know that grasshoppers can bring so much harm to the plants. I thought they were harmless. I have to be careful the e next time. You have given some pretty easy and natural ways to get rid of grasshopper problems. Very informative. Thank you.
The article is very educational and wonderful easy tips to get out of the grasshopper problems. Sprinkling flour on plants is a new method and I have never heard of it. Anyways the tips are great and thanks for the insight to let us know that grasshoppers are dangerous for our plants too.
I do understand that the grasshoppers have to survive of of vegetation, but they can’t survive off of my crops. So thanks for sharing some easy harmless ways to keep them at bay.