i would bring it indoors till the grasshoppers go away. sounds like they are swarming (similar to locust swarms), once they get their fill in your area they will move on to greener pastures.

your large west facing doors should be fine. how much of the bark has your tree lost? if too much it may not survive.

2 things: First, cover it with a netting and keep them out.
Second, do you know any kids who like to fish? Let them know you have lots of bait. Or pay kids 2 cents apiece for them, they will work really hard to come up with a dollars worth!

I just thought I'd post an update. I did bring the tree inside as there was no way it was going to survive outside. I also decided I should repot it -I didn't want to stress it further but I did want a better draining potting mix. I potted it in the gritty mix recommended on this site.

Happily it has survived. It's growing new growth but all at the end of existing branches - is this normal? Will it regrow any new branches/leaves lower down on the branches? It's going to look quite odd if it doesn't fill in. Should I prune off any of the old branches to encourage new growth further down? I've been hesitant to do anythng but water and fertilize with fish emulsion since this tree was at death's door...

Tip prune your lower branches about a 1/2" to 1" from a node to stimulate leafing/branching. As long as those branches are alive, they should then sprout a new flush. You might have to wait awhile until the tree sends out a new flush, but you should then see some growth. And grasshoppers are pretty much impossible to control as they migrate through. Netting or bringing in the potted targets are really your only management.

Patty S.

Here is a link that might be useful: UC IPM: Grasshoppers