The Eastern lubber grasshopper is found mostly in the Eastern and Southern states. They are a large, distinctive looking grasshopper. When they are full grown, they are black with yellow stripes on their bodies. The grasshoppers will eat and destroy crops and general landscaping and can be a real nuisance. They are migratory creatures and you may find you get rid of an infestation to have a new one appear next week. However, there are things you can do to kill the grasshoppers when they appear which will help minimize the destruction they cause.
Materials Needed:
Insecticides
Water
Dish detergent
Spoon
Butterfly net
Knife
Garlic
Mineral oil
Bowl
Fish Emulsion
Castile soap
Glass jar
Spray bottle
Molasses
General Rules
Keep your grass mowed short. This helps deprive them of their food source, discouraging them from migrating to your property.
Cultivate the soil during the fall months. By breaking up the soil, you will help bring the eggs the female laid to the surface, exposing them to the elements during the cold winter months. This will help prevent the eggs from hatching.
Spray any insecticides or home remedies directly on the grasshopper, instead of the plant. If you are going to use a commercial insecticide, use one that contains carbaryl, cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, permethrin, or esfenvalerate for best results. Check the ingredients on the bottle or ask an employee at your local home improvement store for recommended brands.
Hand Picking
Mix a gallon of water with a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent. Use a spoon to stir the mixture.
Hand pick large specimens from plants. They are large and fairly slow. However, if you prefer, you can use a butterfly net to catch them instead of your hands.
Place the grasshoppers into the dish detergent mixture to drown them.
Garlic Oil Spray
Use a knife to mince three ounces of garlic.
Mix the minced garlic with one ounce of mineral oils in a small bowl. Leave the garlic to soak for a minimum of 24 hours.
Add one teaspoon fish emulsion, 16 ounces of water, and one tablespoon of castile soap in a glass jar with a lid. Mix to combine. Fish emulsion is made from the remains of fish and is used as a fertilizer. It can be found at nurseries and home improvement stores in the gardening department. Castile soap is made from olive oil and can be found at health stores.
Add the garlic oil to the mixture and mix slowly to combine. Seal the jar and save the mixture for up to three months.
Add two tablespoons of the garlic and soap mixture to a pint of water in a spray bottle and spray the mixture directly on the grasshoppers to kill them.
Blackstrap Molasses Spray
Mix four ounces of blackstrap molasses and one quart tap water in spray bottle. Blackstrap molasses is a type of molasses that can be purchased at your local grocery store.
Shake the bottle to combine the mixture.
Spray the mixture directly on the grasshoppers. The black strap molasses will prevent the grasshoppers from being able to breath, killing them.
Molasses Trap
Dig a hole in the ground big enough to insert a glass jar into. A good jar to use is a clean spaghetti sauce jar. You want the lip of the jar to be even with the soil level.
Fill the jar with 10 tablespoons water and one tablespoon molasses.
Use a spoon to mix the molasses.
Leave the jar in the ground. The grasshoppers will drawn by the sweet smell of the molasses. Once they enter the jar they will be drowned by the water.
Empty the jars and refill with a fresh molasses mixture every day or two.
Resources:
Golden Harvest Organics: Grasshopper Control http://www.ghorganics.com/page12.html
University of Florida Entomology: Eastern Lubber Grasshopper http://www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/lubber.htm
