I have not, but from reading the labels and the MSDS sheet in this stuff, I don't want anything to do with it. I think I will stick to the chickens and shoes, they don't have MSDS's. I do realize that pretty much anything manufactured has an MSDS, but the cautions tell me that there are too many hazards with this stuff. If it gets into your clothes, you must change and wash seperatly immediatly.
Billie

Hmmmm.... I read the MSDS, but I didn't see anything too alarming there. Besides, I don't have any chickens, and the shoe method is just not enough to keep the damage to an acceptable level.

None of the other "safe" alternatives, such as insecticidal soap or neem oil, list grasshoppers as one of the insects that they control.

I am certainly open to other alternatives, but giving up my entire crop to them, is not one of them.

Bonnie

I have used it around the garden on the grass for several years. You have to put it out when the first grasshoppers start to show. It can take several weeks to get to where it is effective. If you wait until you have damage it is too late. I am not sure how much it cut them down. We got to where we caught them and then threw them over the fence to the chickens. The chickens decided they would also eat the tomatoes, strawberries and squash so had to be fenced out once there was anything coloring up.

All around this part of the country, the drought has brought out pockets of grasshopper 'outbreaks' and this seems to be the only reasonable way folks can combat this. Concentrations of dozens / sq yard, and they strip the leaves off of trees kinda problems, let alone what they do to a garden. I talked to a large scale veggie / hay farmer in Mancos who buys it by the pallet. He was telling me that to be really effective, it needs to be used over a large area and over the course of a a couple three years.

I see some huge concentrations in the drier areas around my place. But I haven't had any where near the problems that the folks out closer to the desert are having.

Look for a biological control that contains Nosema locustae spores if you want control without using insecticides. I have used it successfully in the past. I think it was called NOLO bait.
If you choose to use insecticide, Sevin probably gives the best control, either as a spray or a bait.
Karen

I had a grasshopper problem a few years ago, and I tried to ignore it, hoping nature would balance it out in a year or so. But the population just started soaring the second year. I was too late trying to control them, and they ended up eating all the "silk" off my young ears of corn, so it didn't pollinate and develop. That was the last straw! So, I went out and bought Ortho Max, which says it kills on contact. "On contact" sure sounded good to me right then! And it did work. I sprayed the flowerbed and some shrubs, too, and I pretty much wiped out the hoppers. I know I lost some beneficials at the same time, but I had to try to get back to an even playing field and stop the infestation. The beneficial bugs came back later, and it all worked out fine.

This stuff isn't good for food crops, but it was too late to save the corn, and I was careful not to spray it on the nearby raspberries or strawberries.

I've also used a grasshopper bait since then, but I don't recall the brand. Just found it at the local home supercenter. It works well, as long as I put it out early enough that the hoppers are still young.

I've used semasphore (sp) bait in the past and had moderate success. It noticeably knocked down the grasshopper population on my property but didn't eliminate it completely. It really helped with damage on my perennials. You do have to use it early, as soon as the little grasshoppers appear.

Nancy

Used the bait, according to instructions ... it hasn't lowered the numbers at all that I can see.

Our grasshoppers got so bad I did order semasphore bait a few years ago. Used a broadcast seeder to spread it evenly, only in areas with heavy grasshopper activity. It looked a lot like oatmeal. Infected grasshoppers have a grey hue to them and their eyes glaze over. They get disorientated and are easily caught which also means they cannot find food. I would not feed any that I found to be infected to my chickens as grasshoppers are also cannibals (they eat the dead and dying.) It was not an immediate fix like its chemical counterparts but I thought it was quite effective. It has been about 3 years since I applied it. The hoppers are starting to invade again, but not as bad as before the semasphore went down. I will probably apply again early next year. I still don't like the MSDS on this, but if you do other research on it, the MSDS doesn't paint the complete picture either and it is still much safer than the chemical alternatives.

And yes, I started using the mosquito dunks as well. They are so bad down here that there are literally swarms of them that follow anything with blood. Yikes.

Belinda

Nice to see you checking in around here, Billie! Welcome back into the fold!

I know this wouldn't work for those of you with big yards, but for me when it comes to the Grasshopper Battle, I just keep a can of aerosol household insect spray on each end of my backyard, and every time I see one of the critters I zap it! It takes them a while to die, but they're not eating anymore while they're doing it! This year, for some reason I still haven't figured out, I mostly have little baby grasshoppers! In spring they all seemed to be tiny, but by now a few of them are more "teenager" size, but haven't seen any that were big enough to put a saddle on yet this year! I also keep a can of bug spray right by the front door for when I notice one/any when I'm out there.

Mosquito dunks are TOTALLY safe, Billie! All they are is a "mosquito specific" form of Bt that doesn't affect anything but mosquitoes! I have a tiny little pond by my front door and I use the Mosquito Bits in it every now and then to keep them knocked down! The stuff is amazing!

Check out this FAQs sheet about the Dunks, especially the "what if my dog eats..." part! The Bits are the same thing, but the Dunks release the Bt more slowly. David may be along to comment--I'm pretty sure he uses the Dunks in his pond.

http://www.summitchemical.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/FAQ-MosqDunksrev612.pdf

Poke your nose in around here a little more often,

Skybird

Oh, I know they are. They are even safe for the horses water trough. But previous years, the skeeters weren't bad enough to warrant the expense. This year is horrible. Any source of water that isn't treated is infested. Its just they are so dang expensive. Big R 2 for $7.99 yikes. Found a source that sells a 20 pack for $22.00.

A lot less busy, should be able to say hi more often. Not teaching this fall and only superintendent on one 4-h discipline for the fall.

Belinda