Grasshopper in Gardens
Is your garden an island in a sea of
grasshoppers?
Scott Schell & Alex Latchininsky
Twostriped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) is a frequent culprit.
Twostriped grasshopper facts
• Peak hatch May 15 to June 15 (extended
hatch - 30 to 40 days)
• Eats many types of plants, prefer forbs
and legumes
• Prolific, single egg pod holds 50 to 100
eggs
• Adults capable of flight and short migration
• Nymph to adult in 40 days (hot weather)
You need to treat the nymphs
When they hatch they are the size of long grain rice
Products Available:
• Organic - Nosema locustae (Semaspore,
Nolo bait, and other brands)
• Single celled grasshopper disease
organism is active ingredient
• Has a short shelf life when applied to
wheat bran
• Grasshopper suppression, not control
• Treat early and often where they hatch
Products Available
• Chemical – carbaryl (Sevin), malathion,
some pyrethroids labeled for garden
• Bait (various substrates) with carbaryl are
effective, reduces the amount of pesticide
needed by 90%
• Twostriped grasshopper bait susceptible
• Still treat early and often where they hatch.
Light sprinkles good coverage – not piles
here and there.
Reversing the
Research:
The Search
for a
Repellent
Potential Grasshopper
Repellents
Agent
Ingredient
Claim(s)
Effect
Azadirachtin
neem extract
insects
repellent
Deer Guard
Garlic Barrier
Hot Pepper Wax
Pinene
bitrex
garlic extract
capsaicin
alpha pinene
deer
insects/gh
insects
insects?
none
none
none
none
Ropel
bitrex/thymol
rodent/bird
none
Use of Neem as
a Grasshopper
Repellent
• Insufficient data to recommend any compound as
a reliable repellent of grasshoppers.
• Only neem has demonstrated the potential for
repellency in laboratory trials.
• Biological activity found at 0.001%, which is
similar to rates attained with commercially
available extracts.
• Requires repeat applications through season.