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New Roses, Compost and Grasshoppers Epazote, Gotu Kola and St. John's Wort Central Texas Fall Planting Guide Gardening for Birds and Butterflies How to grow Apples in Central Texas Problems growing Tomatoes in hot weather |
How to Control Grasshoppers
There are 150 species of grasshoppers in Texas. They lay their eggs in grass ditches and rangelands and eat half their weight in vegetation every day. Some grasshoppers thrive on poorly managed pastures with lots of bare spots, another type loves what most cattle ranchers would call a healthy pasture full of only one type of grass, and still another type prefers cropland. By depleting our surrounding terrain of native and diversified grasses, we've created a grasshopper nightmare that isn't going away anytime soon. If your garden is repeatedly terrorized by these pests that can get 5 inches long and become so thick they literally drip from the trees in the Spring, you should try some forms of natural control before breaking out a flame-thrower and destroying everything in sight. The most important thing a gardener can do is create wide strips of seed- head producing natural grasses around the garden, add a source of water, and put up birdfeeders and birdhouses to attract birds, the grasshopper's greatest enemy. For native grass seed try Native American Seed 1-800-728-4043, www.seddsource.com. Leave a barrier of mowed grass of at least twenty feet between your garden and any natural areas so the birds can see the hoppers moving into the garden. Some folks swear by guineas and they are voracious feeders but can scratch out a pretty sizeable chunk of your garden if they suddenly decide on a luxurious dust bath. For biological control, the use of Semaspore bait that contains Nosema locustae is the preferred method. It contains a naturally occurring fungus that attacks 100 different types of grasshoppers. The effect is cumulative over several years so don't expect a miracle from Semaspore your first year. Another low toxicity method is Ecobran, a bait made from a combination of bran flakes and Carbaryl. Neither one of these prducts will affect beneficial insects. They can be obtained from Planet Natural at 800-289-6656 or www.planetnatural.com. Chemical control should be the last resort because it kills everything, and may affect birds and other animals up the food chain, including fish, household pets and you. Before applying any type of chemical over a large area, contact your local agricultural extension office for recommendations and legal guidelines.
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Of all the pests that can take the wind out of any gardeners sails, the grasshopper is probably the worst. They eat just about everything green and leave their fracas behind, creating an even nastier sight. This time of the year is when they are hatching and you may already be experiencing severe damage from them in your garden. Unfortunately, if you already have a severe problem it may take a few years to finally get them under control. You can tell how bad the problem is by doing a count of the grasshoppers that swarm out of a square yard of grass as you walk through it. Anything over 40 is considered a severe infestation. Cool damp springs are supposed to keep their numbers in check, but I wouldn't count on the weather to control their numbers.
