Tiffy - how'd things turn out with the grasshoppers? Did the molasses & canola oil work? Here it's JB and they've pretty much denuded my one lonely dahlia that came up. They're wreaking havoc on just about everything except daylilies & hosta. The hollyhocks & hibiscus are starting to bloom but their leaves look like Belgian lace. I spend so much time watering, I haven't had time to attack the varmints. Yesterday there was a slug inside one of the plant nannies. I flicked him down the concrete cellar stairs in the blistering heat.
The red foxes kept critter damage to a minimum through May & June but they don't eat bugs.

Didn't work. :O( Don't waste your molasses on this one. A few ants ventured in and a couple of black beetles, but no grasshoppers.

I left the concoction there for two days checking it out every so often so if they had wanted to venture in, they would have done so in that amount of time.

Tiff (hanging my head in shame)... I think it was ME who told you I found a recipe for capturing grasshoppers - I did get a few that way, but not as many as I would have liked...
they might have gone into anything that was out there, so save your $$ and don't buy anymore molasses - sorry...

Carrie

Oh, gosh, Carrie! Don't you worry. :O) If I figure out something, I'll let everyone know. I can't be the only one with this problem. LOL!

tiffy did you ever find something for your hopper troubles? I too have them every where. I also tried the molasses traps didn't get a singel one. I'll bet our hoppers all got a big laught at us. between the grasshoppers and the japanese beatles everything is starting to look like swiss cheese.

Oooo Ooooo, I know what works (sometimes)... Okay, this works for me, but it's hit or miss.

Grasshoppers do not like water. I remembered that last year when I would water in the morning (with a hard spray from the hose) that grasshoppers would hop out of where they were resting (not eating) I would hit them with the hose and then... uh oh - now I am going to sound mean.. but... stomp on them. It works. Try it; you'll like it :0)

If your mean, Carrie, than I'm just plain sick, LOL, because I get a lot of pleasure out of cutting them in half with my gardening snips! Stomping on them, or whacking the ones on the house with my flipflops is fun too, LOL!!!

Ahhhh yessssss. Scissors!! I had the pleasure of taking a few heads off the other night as I was gathering a lovely bouquet for the house. :O) :O) :O)

How are you able to get to them without them hopping/flying away? I would do the scissors thing - they are so destructive... but I get most of mine with a hard spray and a good stomp!

I sneak in from behind. Don't know why but they must have bad vision unless you go at them from the front or sides. I'm going to look into coffee though. I used to throw used coffee grounds in my gardens all the time and never had them like this. The other day I was surfing the web - UGH! I hate those new fandangled terms!!! - and saw that a strong spray of coffee repels them. I may just start flinging my UCGs into the gardens again.

Hmmm ... Tiffy, I'm thinking you'd have to fill a spray bottle with boiling hot coffee for it to have any effect. I've been putting coffee grounds in my garden for the past couple years, and my garden if FULL of grasshoppers. Since the UCG go on the soil, and the grasshoppers spent their time on the plants, I don't see how that would work.

Just my 2 cents though ...

Bonnie

I think this must be a banner year for grasshoppers. This is the worst I've seen them in a long time. DH and I picked our vegetable garden earlier tonight and the hoppers were flying around like mad as we moved through. After we finished picking, we watered and it seems they don't like that too much either. Every where the water went they went crazy trying to get away. We couldn't believe how many there were.

My youngest daughter reminded me that when we first moved here 17 years ago during a drought and very hot summer, the kids would call the hill up to our garden "Grasshopper Hill". I am willing to bet that all this 90-100 degree weather has something to do with it.

Carol

Lots of grasshoppers here this year, too. More than I normally see.

A rabbit had a nest in my yard this year and they stayed here all summer. The babies are like teenager size now but they all seem to stay here. No doubt they like the buffet. I suspect it's they who keep eating my sedum, to the point that I might not see one bloom again this year. I might just give up and yank those. I have ornamental sweet potato vine, an area that was lush and full of them- the rabbits have stripped whole long vines of leaves.

Some bug is even eating my castor beans. I thought those were off limits to all critters but apparently not. Something has eaten entire leaves from it, leaving only mid ribs.

My only usual pest that hasn't really struck badly this year is the deer. So far, so good there, but I know they're not gone. I did give up on my lilies, 25 years old. The deer hadn't let me see flowers for 3 years so I gave up and gave them to I friend this year. One less lure for the deer.

Sometimes I do wonder why I try.

Karen

Tiffy, you gave me a good laugh.

"UGH! I hate those new fandangled terms!!! "

I actually think that expression has been around for quite some time. Are you showing your age? LOL

Now my daughter loses all patience with me when I don't use all the features on my nice microwave and oven she picked out for me. Next time I'll ask her, "What do I need all those new fandangled features for?" :)

Yes... I remember when life was so simple. I sometimes have trouble keeping up with technology at work and that's a challenge for someone in charge of a busy gas station/convenience store. People here in Canada are not used to the concept of paying at the pumps or even prepaying for their gas and it's coming. I have two prepay pumps and am constantly out there telling folks how to use them. American tourists are great at them!! Real pros! :O)

I have to agree Bonnie. UCGs are just 'In my dreams.'

As per the grasshoppers we have made a deal. They don't bother my Milkweed and my Monarchs and I won't take the scissors to them. So far, so good!!

Ugh! This thread has the deer on my mind. I just went out and sprayed Liquid Fence in the humid, near darkness. Oh, how repulsive. The humidity seems to intensify the stench.

Karen

I'm trying a garlic spray (just garlic powder & water, and that stinks, too, Karen) for the grasshoppers. I read that garlic was supposed to repel them. Some really BIG ones here, ew.

The liquid fence seems to be working. The deer have stayed away from my yard all summer, and that's unheard of. In recent years they've almost sheered off entire beds. But I've been using the liquid fence this year and they're staying away. The stupid rabbits don't seem to mind it, though.

If it wasn't so repulsive to me, I'd use it more often.

Karen

Karen.

I tried some of that Milorganite this year and for the first time saw my hostas grow and flower as well as the Phlox, Campanulas... Well, you know what it's like. Tammy from this forum used it and said it worked. I just sprinkled it every 2 weeks at first on top of the plants or right in the hearts of the hostas.

For my shrubs I have discovered a deer repellent twist tie which has an odor that they hate. Apple farmers in our province use them with success. Made by an American Company. If you are interested just google 'deer repellent twist ties'.

Garlic for grasshoppers makes sense Drippy!! I just realized that in the areas where I have garlic growing there are few if any grasshoppers. :O) Thanks for making me put two and two together!