Gardening > Pest ControlJune 26, 2004

Grasshoppers Eating My Flowers

Q: Need Your help. Grasshoppers eating all my flowers in my garden, and i have alot of flowers. I have sprayed 4 times and they are still munching away. Please help. Thanks

Sharyl

A: Sharyl,

Grasshoppers are tough to control during all life-cycle stages, and unfortunately, the adults are nearly impossible to kill through the use of spraying traditional insecticides alone. Consider replacing chemical treatments with organic methods such as biological control. Nosema locustae (commonly sold as Nolo Bait, Grasshopper spore or Semaspore) is a protozoan disease of grasshoppers. It is considered an option for long-term control and you won't see results immediately. It will take about a year to noticeably affect grasshopper populations. If you're able to house them, small flocks of chickens can provide an immediate solution as well as providing you fresh eggs. If zoning laws (or preferences) prevent you from keeping chickens, consider making your backyard garden attractive to native birds-who in turn will help control your grasshoppers. At the end of the growing season, till soil under to expose grasshoppers eggs to killing temperatures.

About The Author: Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com

Answers

Read answers for this post below.

By Gina (Guest Post) 09/10/2008

Please help, I have found these grasshoppers eating my new plants and flowers. What kind of insect are they and what can I do to get rid of them?
See picture attached.

RE: Grasshoppers Eating My Flowers

By Zalacious (Guest Post) 03/06/2006

Thanks for the tips! I tried what you said and it actually worked! Thank you very much again! BYE!!!!

By
10/04/2005

From http://140.247.119.145/odb/pages/diet/diet.htm

"Grasshoppers are not easy to keep in captivity and most will die soon despite your best efforts to keep them alive. They require relatively low humidity and a lot of sun, which can be very difficult to provide in a small jar or terrarium. Still, some species can be kept alive for some time. Grasshoppers of the genus Melanoplus in North America can be fed grass and carrots, and will live for many weeks if their containers are large, dry and clean."

By Chiara (Guest Post) 10/04/2005

HELP!!! I have a grasshopper as a pet and I don't know what it eats!!

By maria cabello (Guest Post) 08/06/2005

can I have a grasshopper as a pet what do they eat and most of all are they not dangerous to have near.

Editor's Note: We posted this as a new request Maria:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf564854.tip.html

By cody (Guest Post) 07/18/2005

we just found a bold red grasshopper in finlayson minnesota!

By Samantha Bland (Guest Post) 07/15/2005

One day i was mowing the lawn and i lookeddown and saw a Bold Red Grass hopper! Not red legged actually red all over! I ran inside and told my family and they don't believe me sooo please help me!

By (Guest Post) 07/13/2005

some bug eating my red hot pokers, what can i do to stop this happening?

teresa

By Judy (Guest Post) 09/23/2004

Chickens work, except on those RED grasshoppers in far West TX.
Those are the smartest grasshoppers I've ever seen. They will sit really still, while the chicken walks all around them, then sneek off when it turns its back!
General something is what they are called. My dumb chickens didn't have a chance!

By
06/30/2004

As a Buddhist I'm not allowed to kill other living beings. When I have things in my garden that are ruining it - cats, insects such as harvester ants, javelinas - I spray plants with water mixed with crushed garlic or eucalyptus oil, or I use an old yogurt tub with holes poked in the top to shake cayenne or white pepper around plants. That usually deters critters without killing anything. The one thing about grasshoppers though is that they are migrant and should move on and not return anyway.

By (Guest Post) 06/28/2004

I have this problem also and did some research online. A lot of sites I visited said to buy a product called Nolo Bait and apply it around and on your plants/flowers and it's supposed to keep the grasshoppers away. I haven't tried it yet but plan to soon. Hope this helps.

By (Guest Post) 06/28/2004

Depending on your situation this may or may not be possible but a couple of chickens are the perfect organic solution to grasshoppers - they love to eat them. And there's nothing more amusing that watching a chicken run and jump to catch a grasshopper! They may scratch up the mulch a little bit but keeping them in a pen and allowing them out for a couple of hours a day will minimize it.

Regards

Jo

Related

Answer this Question

Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. Enter your answer here!

Answer:

Image Upload:

Add an image to your post! Click the "Browse" button above and select an image from your hard drive. Please only select gifs or jpegs. If you have any problems, please contact us.

  

facebook like arrowLike ThriftyFun on Facebook

Browse Topics

Over 80,000 tips, recipes, questions & crafts.

Ask a Question

Submit a question to the TF community.

Subscribe to ThriftyFun Newsletters!

Email: