Can you slice them in half with your pruners? I did this over the winter when I found some nesting in the middle of my plants. When they were inside the plant, they didn't move very quickly and that's when I got them (chop chop)

Well, here is my method. I locate them. Then I scream for husband to come catch them and he feeds them to the fish. What can say? It works for me. I really like the pruner method. I'm going to have to try that. ;)

If you have a few grasshoppers, handpicking is easy. That is, if you can catch them!

If you have lots of the little buggers and especially if you expect more or more often, try Nosema, a biological management product specifically for grasshoppers.

Joe

Here is a link that might be useful: Source of Nosema

If they're in the backyard, I sic my dog on 'em. Otherwise, I'd go with the clippers.

coronabarb

I hate grasshoppers, especially when I find them on my precious Michelia alba. They seem to love to chomp away at the leaves which must be very tasty. I think it's interesting that, so far, I know of no popular and readily available insecticide in gardening stores that is designed specifically to destroy these insects that have been bedeviling gardeners for many years. What's happening to the inventive minds of this country? Can't they concoct something that will send these little devils off to greener pastures in some other world?

Carney

I have the same problem of grasshoppers eating not only the leaves but the flowers of michelias. They actually seem to equally enjoy both the alba and champaca. They also devour dombeya/heliconia/canna.

I've basically given up trying to control grasshoppers since they seem to be well-established in my area. Unless your neighbors are also using bio-control/sevin/etc you will likely never get rid of grasshoppers especially if you live near open grasslands.

The forecast by the Dept of Agriculture is for less grasshoppers in California this year due to all the winter rains but I seem to be plagued by them nearly all year long and fear that they will invade other plants like brugmansia and tabebuia

happ.

They are munching on my blackberries. Some leafs look like Swiss cheese. Huge gray ones with wings. Still can't get myself to kill them. So I capture them and take them down the street into our neighborhood park and release them into the grass there hoping they will be satisfied with regular hardy commercial landscape plants. And of course in a couple of days I see the whole gang again on my berries. I guess we'll just see who has more patience and persistence I or they. :-)

Thank you guys, all good suggestions. My plants do look like 'swiss cheese' also. The grasshoppers i've been noticing are big and gray with wings, too. I have be very fast to catch 'em. Thanks, Joe for the heads up on Nosema. I will definately keep that in mind.

If you go out with the pruners early in the morning when it is still cool, it is easier to prune them in two then...when it is cool, they can't move very fast.

My weimaraner does the job of death....other than that, the big toads love those guys too. and if you are creative and want to spend some money, there is a biological agent that you can spray around the yard ( it is harmless to plants, animals, and people) and this agent will kill off the grasshoppers. The agent is a bacteria similar to BT. but then again, that is if you have a huge population, and if you want to be creative enough..

Those nasty critters attack my black raspberry plants too! I can't stand them! Furtunately I don't have many, but when I find one, I put on a thick glove (they gross me out so bad!), I grab my dull pruners, sneak up on them and grab them in between the blades. I dare not cut them in half because the halves have jumped at me before....GROSS!!! Then I grab a brick and smash it against another brick and bye bye hopper! They really freak my sister out! She has so many, she's gotten to the point where she's paying the kids .50 cents for each grass hopper they kill. The love bugs, but no critter messes with their berries and gets away with it! Now just imagine being caught in the middle of a locust swarm! Eeeewwwww!!!!!!!

When the infestation got to be too much for my mom up in Redding many years ago, she dusted off the BB gun. They still have holes in the kitchen window to prove it, and if you yell, "Incoming!!!", Dad still does a nose-dive under the table.

Sweet memories....

Brenda

Oh Brenda, you gave me a laugh... :^)

She could hit a grasshopper with a BB gun? Wow, pretty good shot!

coronabarb

Well, Mr. Grasshopper reappeared today. He was just sitting there on top of my small trellis where all my peas are growing...smacking his lips no doubt, and planning his next meal. I screamed for my 17 year old son to come smash him, but instead he threw a rock at him and hit him broad side. He seemed to be out cold on the ground but we noticed his hind legs moving. So my son stabbed him with my shovel. It was all very dramatic as you can imagine. Sweet revenge....

Glad you got him. I hate to rain your parade but grasshoppers are like cockroaches and mice. There is no such thing as one. And those gray ones blend in so nicely with the branches. There is no doubt a Mrs Grasshopper and a few youngsters ones out there too...........

I've seen several of those big ugly ones already. The last few years, I've also had lots of the little green ones in my tomatoes. Yuck!

coronabarb

:D I swear, my mom really did kill tons of them with her little BB gun, coronabarb! I think it was more out of frustration that she used the gun, since they'd never let her get close enough to stomp.

I told her that she could complete her stylish "sniper" look by purchasing pampas grass camouflage and a canteen. She was not amused.

Brenda

Well, I'm highly amused and quite impressed with your Mom's method of killing them, beats my LaScream method. I never realized that grasshoppers were so hard to catch, my hubby is so good at it.

Wicked Heart, You're right! I saw Mrs. Grasshopper today feasting in my vegie garden. She was too fast though, she flew away. Man, they're fast little suckers.

I have had medium sized bright green grasshoppers in my garden for the last 3 years( besides aphids on a few plants they are the only insect pests I get) and I just hand caught and crushed them as they appeared, but now I have tiny tiny little dull green ones chewing up my brugmansias. Hard to see, let alone catch. I try to avoid spraying with insecticides. So far I have just killed the ones I have seen and refrained from sprayng but once this rain is over, I may have to do some spraying.

A good duck can turn those hoppers into something fine for the compost pile. Not sure if they'd go after the toad.

You know, maleko, I've never had such trouble with grasshoppers as I've had the last three years. They seem to be everywhere now. Some big brown ones and LOTS of the little green ones.

coronabarb

My kids would love a duck, but my husband would have a heart attack...I haven't seen any grasshoppers for a couple of days just large holes in my Shastas, Morning glories, sunflowers etc....

I finally discovered that my garden munchers were earwigs. I've been catching about 80 a night in beer traps. I have also seen a cricket or two in there, so maybe beer traps would work for grashoppers.

I chased and killed five brown grasshoppers today. I've never seen the brown/gray ones before. Are they like chameleons? Or could they be something else? The japanese beetles are out too. We've had a drought this year, I had hoped that the grubs would all die since the ground is so dry. Maybe it won't be as bad tho? Anyone know?

Send him (her?) to charm school ? ?

[duckin' and runnin']

Peace,
- Sequoia

Hi friends!
I have a cute big green grasshopper eating my roses! She has devoured one of them and my Butterfly bush. I tried unsuccessfully to catch her twice! She flies away. I hate to kill her, God made her. I want to relocate her. I plan to drop her off at Nordstrom¡¦s to shop! You know Friends Grasshopper spells= Gras-shopper!! º

I can't stand the sight of the green or brown grasshoppers, especially the babies ones. They destroy my flowers and my beautifull leaves. But I don't seem to be able to kill them.This morning I took the courage to drown them. Well, that sukers can hold its breath under water.Maybe I should catch them with a jar and start a business in grasshopper covered chocolate. They are full of protein. What do you think? ha! ha! ha! I'm just kidding.

This ought to be posted to the Harvest Forum, but you asked.

Ingredients

1 Cup of Nasty Grasshoppers
1/2 Cup of Sunflower Oil

Deep Fry grasshoppers in oil, drain and towel off.

3 tablespoons liquid Cane Sugar
1/2 Cup of Light Chocolate

Melt chocolate and cane sugar in a pot.
Dip Fried Grasshoppers and set on pastry paper to cool.
Refrigerate

Invite friends over and prepare a dish of cut vegetables, mushrooms, scallions, celery, zuchini wedges, etc. and in the middle, pile up the chocolate covered nasty grasshoppers. Serve Lemonade. It's been a hot day.

Bon Apetit!

I had to kill one this year, but I shouldn't complain, because geez, it was only one! :D

I had to wear a glove for the squeezing ceremony, and my mom (She-Ra of the Grasshopper Killing Clan) had to talk me through it on the phone. Thirty-nine years old, and a little (compared to me) green thing had me calling my mommy. I'm sure the neighbors had a right good giggle.

GHs are eee-vell! LOL

Brenda, who can't do it bare-handed

do they do anything that's beneficial to gardens? perhaps eat aphids or something? Im sure the bad outweighs the good. Ive got the brown/gray and the little green ones. They pretty much love my pineapple sage.

i like the chop chop method, love the bb gun method. but i've got a better way. catch the little suckers and sell them to university biology classes. we've actually used them in our endocrinology class, injected them with norepinephrine (or maybe we did that with crabs) i think we made them jump for 30 min non stop then cut off their legs and made smoothie out of those tired juicy legs and tested for the presence of stress hormone ( pretty funny when we had to pry off two grasshopper from each other, those critters have no shame), i don't have much GH in my yard,they only come when it is very hot, i don't mind them but i mind the screaming sounds they make at night, keeps me up cussing at them.

with a heavy rubber band, a long tinker toy stick and a little practice, you can zap most larger bugs without doing much damage to the leaves. I use monofilament fishing line to force the end of the rubber band into the slot on the end of the stick, then use the same line to wrap around the stick to hold the rubber band secure. You point the end of the stick at the bug, pull back the rubber band and let it go. takes a little practice to know how far away to hold the end of the stick, so just the end of the band hits the bug and not the leaf or stalk it's sitting on. works better for wasps because they usually arent on a plant you care about. You'll probably never get as good as the average frog, however.

Saw the first grasshopper this a.m., sucker got away from me. Now Brenda, next time you talk to your Mom, please ask her if she gives lessons with the BB gun. I'm truly interested, thinking it might discourage a few nasty cats too.

LOL!! Pat, I think my mom needs lessons on how to aim away from windows. :D Dad still keeps the BB gun handy for one particular neighborhood cat who beats up their kitty, so not sure how discouraging it can be. The cat keeps coming back.

I like that rubber band trick, simply because it means I don't have to touch the GH!

Brenda

Wash his nasty little mouth out with an itsy-bitsy bar of soap....

I put sevin powder on my fence, then I ran the hose through my many zinnias and the jumped up on the fence. I have tried the hose trick several more times and no more grasshoppers!! Yipee, I hate those sucker!

I found a bunch of little ones--I guess they were grasshoppers--eating holes in the eggplant. I tried to catch and pinch them, but most fell on the ground or jumped away. Haven't seen them since, so maybe our many lizards got them.

BB guns, tinker toys, chop-chop; I'm kind of sorry I don't have GHs, because it sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun!

Try neem oil for grasshopper control Good luck

WickedHeart(z11SanDiego) I'm late to this discussion, and "Desperate in San Diego!" May I borrow your husband this weekend? Just kidding!