Another Grasshopper Plague

[Bird]

Is the rest of the south expecting another grasshopper plague this year?

We've had one that Moses would have been proud of the last two years, and now it appears that it may be even worse this year./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif A neighbor had told me that he had already sprayed his garden twice this year, so Sunday I was back there and he has baby grasshoppers (about a quarter inch long) by the millions, in the garden, the lawn, shrubs, and on the side of the house (he sprayed again Monday). He was intending to buy more cows this year, but now says he may sell some instead because he's expecting the grasshopppers to eat up the pastures.

The really weird thing is that my garden is less than 300 yards from his, and only by searching for them Sunday was I able to find one little grasshopper. However, I expect them to descend on us in the very near future. I have used no chemicals on my garden in the past, but that's about to change. I've bought some "Bayer Advanced Garden PowerForce Multi-Insect Killer" for the vegetable garden (and the local Walmart says they're already having trouble keeping enough of it in stock). And I've stocked up on Diazinon for the rest of the place.

I know this has been discussed in the past, and it seems that there are a lot of things that will kill the grasshoppers that you actually spray, but nothing that will keep more from moving right in within a very few days after spraying.

Anyone have any good ideas?

 

[TonyC]

The only "trick" I've heard from friends is that the spraying needs to be a community effort. If everyone isn't part of the effort, they'll just move around so I'm told.

 

[rf33]

I have not seen any yet this year up here in Canton, but if they are anything like they have been in the last few years, it is going to be a long summer/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[Argee]

Bird,
Is the reason your not suffering any of the effects of grasshoppers due to the possibility that you have a healthy garden. I read somewhere that healthy plants are the best means of controlling garden pests (the bug variety). Makes sense. I've also read that prolonged use of any chemical warfare wiil strengthen the insects resistance to that chemical. Case in point, the potato beetle. After years of throwing every chemical known to man at it, it still survives and migrates further every year. I'm convinced if people took the time to build healthy soil, which would in turn produce healthy plants, we could eventually control the bug population via their natural predators. Just my .02 cents worth.

 

[TerryinMD]

Bird,

I believe that you guys have been having a couple of "wet" years. If that is the case, the grasshopper eggs have a better chance of hatching and with the additional availability of green stuff to eat. Well, you get the picture... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif/w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

Everyone in your area missed the prime time to kill the eggs and lavae by using an insecticide that gets the little buggers before they hatch. So, now you're stuck with the worst choice... using a lot of pesticides to keep your crops and other vegatation.

You may as well go to one of your garden centers and talk to them about the best remedy or contact your local ag agent.

Terry

 

[Bird]

Terry, we've had very wet early springs, but then hot and dry right on through the summer. And this year, it's been wet in Dallas, but 60 miles south, it's been unusually dry.

And I just came in from a hour or so in the garden and the grasshoppers have really started to arrive in my garden now.

 

[TerryinMD]

Oh well.... bag that theory!! /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Maybe it's just that you're growing an attractive resturant for them!! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Terry

 

[RJohnson]

Bird
I keep telling you the best control is what my wife calls biological insect control.... chickens/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. I let mine free range and no grasshoppers. It is a real hoot to watch them chase a grasshopper.

Randy

 

[Bird]

Randy, I agree that chickens, turkeys, or guineas would help, but I don't think they'd last long around here. The neighbor I was talking about had a flock of guineas when we moved here 7 years ago, but they were gradually killed off over a period of about a year, and he doesn't know whether it was coyotes (as he suspects), dogs, or something else. Sometimes he found remains, sometimes he didn't, but anyway he's gotten another batch recently; still has them penned up until they get used to the new home. But with the number of grasshoppers he has, I figure he'd need at least a couple of hundred chickens to do any good./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif And I can still remember watching our chickens chase grasshoppers when I was a kid; fun to watch all right.

 

[BB_TX]

Bird, keep 'em down your way as long as you can. I am about 60 miles north of Dallas and they haven't reached here yet. You are right about rain here. Last I heard, we were over 10" ahead of normal and still getting regular rains.
I seem to remember reading that wet weather was actually detrimental to grasshoppers, some kind of fungus or something that kills them off. They really like hot dry weather. Planted several new sweet gums last year in September. Grasshoppers cleaned every leaf off within 2 weeks./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif