the Year of the Grasshopper!
- Thread starter Naughty
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lesa
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I was just saying the same thing. It seems like I have at least 3 different kinds. I hand pick them (when I can get them) and the chickens love them. But, it is rare that I can catch them! I will be interested to hear if there is anything productive we can do about them!
thistlebloom
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Well it just so happens that I asked this same question a bit back and got a few solutions. One was guinea hens, they wont scratch up a garden like hens will, but they're noisy. And the other, a good tip from digitS was a bait with nosema locustae in it, a bacteria that only affects grasshoppers and crickets. The ones that eat it die, then others cannabalize the dead and dying ones 
, and they become infected and so on. I spread mine last weekend, so it's a bit early for me to tell if how successful it will be.
It was reasonably priced, about $15 to treat an acre.
Here's the website I ordered from:
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/semaspore-grasshopper-bait.html
eta: Since the bacteria is specific only to the locust family it will not harm birds or snakes or whatever else makes a meal of them.
So the chickens can still have dessert!
, and they become infected and so on. I spread mine last weekend, so it's a bit early for me to tell if how successful it will be.It was reasonably priced, about $15 to treat an acre.
Here's the website I ordered from:
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/semaspore-grasshopper-bait.html
eta: Since the bacteria is specific only to the locust family it will not harm birds or snakes or whatever else makes a meal of them.
So the chickens can still have dessert!
lesa
Garden Master
Where and how did you apply it??
thistlebloom
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I used a whirly bird hand held spreader, and applied it to one of the beds against the house that they hatch out of every year. They really love that bed, it has my perennial sunflowers, mints and lemon balm in it.
I also put it out on a section of lawn that they hang out in, and in the mowed weedy areas by the road that are a great area every year to get grasshopper smacked in.
The product is bran based and very light , so it would be best to apply on a still day. It was pretty breezy the day I did it, but I only used about half, and am going to do it again this weekend.
I also put it out on a section of lawn that they hang out in, and in the mowed weedy areas by the road that are a great area every year to get grasshopper smacked in.
The product is bran based and very light , so it would be best to apply on a still day. It was pretty breezy the day I did it, but I only used about half, and am going to do it again this weekend.
did you have any luck with the bait stuff? I too bought it, and spread it all over my raspberries, flower garden and veggie garden. I might have done it a bit late, but I cannot tell if it helped as most of my garden was demolished by the time I got it. I still have lots of hoppers. I heard that the bait does not really do any good as seeing they migrate, they will move on and new ones will arrive soon after, dont know if thats true but I tried it. They ate all the tops off my onions causing me to pull them out, ate the tops off all my potatoes essencially killing the plants and my peppers and tomatoes. My zucchini was left alone though, and my corn for the most part.
I was thinking about getting this netting (like window screen cloth?)next time that they use for garden places to keep the pest out and make like a tent over the plants.
I was thinking about getting this netting (like window screen cloth?)next time that they use for garden places to keep the pest out and make like a tent over the plants.
thistlebloom
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I still think it may be early to say for sure if the bait worked, but my impression is that has. I still see grasshoppers, in fact every time I'm working in the previously most infested bed by the house I think, hmmm, haven't seen any 'hoppers here lately, and that's right when I spot one, and it gets caught for a chicken treat! But overall the numbers are way way down, and I haven't had too much damage from them.
As far as them moving on, I know mine hang around long enough to lay eggs for next year, because I see them as tiny hatchlings. Grasshoppers have been a problem here for 3 or4 years at least.
In the end I'd say the bait has been effective and I plan on ordering another batch next summer as a followup.
Sounds like you had a major infestation of them Chick', but your screen plan sounds workable.
As far as them moving on, I know mine hang around long enough to lay eggs for next year, because I see them as tiny hatchlings. Grasshoppers have been a problem here for 3 or4 years at least.
In the end I'd say the bait has been effective and I plan on ordering another batch next summer as a followup.
Sounds like you had a major infestation of them Chick', but your screen plan sounds workable.
Ridgerunner
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I've bookmarked this thread to remind me to get some of that nosema locustae next spring. I expect them to lay a lot of eggs in this immediate area since they have been concentrating in my garden. Nosema locustae is supposed to be more effective against the nymphs.
I think the grasshoppers hurt me as much as the drought this year. The only green things around for them to eat and get moisture was what I watered, so guess where they all congregated. Several things killed, several more eaten back where they are stunted or just not producing. And the flowers! Marigolds and zinnias eaten to stubs. My wife's flower bed explodes with grasshoppers whenever we walk by. They have killed young trees. The more I watered, the worse they got. We finally got some rain and the grass is starting to green back up, so maybe they will spread out some and give me some relief in the garden, but I do expect them to lay a lot of eggs and them to be pretty bad in this area next year.
It's been so dry the man from the water company came by to check my meter, in case it had a leak. When he saw my garden he knew the meter wasn't broken. It may be the year of the drought here, but it is also the year of the grasshopper. I just want to try that nosema locustae next spring to try to keep next year being another one.
I think the grasshoppers hurt me as much as the drought this year. The only green things around for them to eat and get moisture was what I watered, so guess where they all congregated. Several things killed, several more eaten back where they are stunted or just not producing. And the flowers! Marigolds and zinnias eaten to stubs. My wife's flower bed explodes with grasshoppers whenever we walk by. They have killed young trees. The more I watered, the worse they got. We finally got some rain and the grass is starting to green back up, so maybe they will spread out some and give me some relief in the garden, but I do expect them to lay a lot of eggs and them to be pretty bad in this area next year.
It's been so dry the man from the water company came by to check my meter, in case it had a leak. When he saw my garden he knew the meter wasn't broken. It may be the year of the drought here, but it is also the year of the grasshopper. I just want to try that nosema locustae next spring to try to keep next year being another one.
