GRASSHOPPER CONTROL

   This article is about GRASSHOPPER control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   There are many species of grasshoppers around the
world. Over twenty thousand have been identified and
over one thousand exist in the United States alone.
Grasshoppers are strong jumpers and they can fly.
Though they don't bite intentionally, they have been
known to "chew" a person or two during migration
or prolonged contact. Grasshoppers are strong insects
with a body well protected and sight which enables
them to identify predators from afar. Closely related
to crickets, these ferocious and crop damaging pests
know how to "sing" and "chirp". This article will detail
some basic biology of grasshoppers, list why they
are a pest and then offer solutions on how to keep them
away from your gardens and plants. 
   Grasshoppers are known around the world. They are
great jumpers and most species can fly as well. They
have a tough outerskin which affords them great protection.
Pygmy grasshoppers are the least important. They are
small with thin bodies which has a dorsal shield completely
protecting it. Though they do some damage, Pygmy grasshoppers
are thought to have the lease amount of impact. Longhorned
grasshoppers are much larger and have antennae which
extends beyond the end of their body when folded back. 
Katydids, Cone-headed Grasshoppers and Meadow Grasshoppers
are all members of this family. Long horned grasshoppers
do a lot of damage every year; the Mormon Grasshopper was
a meadow grasshopper which was responsible for so much
damage which early settlers endured while farming Utah.
The shorthorned grasshopper is by far the most common of
all species and has short antennae. This species includes
the Spur-throated grasshopper which is able to molt
and migrate when local food supplies are not sufficient.
These are the true "locusts" which will leave in late
summer/early fall in search of food. They will fly miles
and miles when local food is scarce or if they reproduced
too much for local conditions to support. Slant faced
crickets and Band-Winged grasshoppers are also in the
shorthorned species. 
   Grasshoppers vary in color. This will depend largely
on local environments. Dry arid environments tend to
produce more species which are tan to brown in color.
Moist, succulent terrain will have more green grasshoppers.
However, many species will start a season green
and turn brown as the summer lags on into fall.
Most grasshoppers are great songsters. Males will use
sound during courtship and so distinctive is their
voice that many people are able to identify species
by their song! Shorthorned species are only able to
sing by rubbing various body parts together so they
are really only able to "chirp". However, both females
and males will use sound throughout the year. It is
believed their song is used to communicate food locations,
mating seasons and the general state of local populations.
Grasshoppers have well developed ears which enable
their sound to find the right target from great
distances. It is clear their use of sound keeps them
close together which is essential for species development
and survival.
   Most grasshoppers will die out by winter and start
from eggs the following year. Pygmy grasshoppers are
one of the only species which overwinters and emerges
as adults in the spring. What little damage they do
is mostly noted at the beginning of the growing season.
Most other species will emerge as nymphs in the spring
looking like adults but lacking the ability to fly.
As they molt through the summer they will reach
adulthood late in the season. Once they mate, females will
use their ovipositors to lay eggs in plants or the 
ground, depending on the species. This egg laying
process causes great damage to plants. Eggs will then
lie dormant through the winter and young will emerge
at the beginning of the new growing season the following
year.
   Grasshoppers are worst known for the damage they do
while eating. They have strong chewing mouth parts
along with ferocious appetites. Grasshoppers have been
known to clear acres of crops, wild terrain and urban
landscaping. At times they appear to eat whatever is
in their path. This is particularly true when short
horned species change over to locusts and migrate.
Generally caused by overpopulation or lack of food,
locusts are strong flyers and capable of causing
uncontrollable damage. There is a certain feeling
of helplessness many farmers have felt when they
see the great bands of locusts decending upon their
crops. Locusts act quickly and will sometimes eat
entire plants; othertimes they ravish randomly. 
Small local populations are easy to control; large
migrating locusts are difficult to stop but preventative
steps can be taken to minimize loss.
   The key to successful grasshopper control is the
timing of treatments. The timing of your treatments
is dependent on which type of grasshopper problem
you are experiencing.  If you are an avid gardener 
which experiences grasshopper damage and activity 
every year, you have a local population which needs
to be eliminated. If you are in a region which generally
has very little activity but migrating locusts
find their way to your property, immediate action
is needed to minimize damage and followup treatments
recommended to prevent population establishments.
The time of the year will dictate what you need to
do and which products to use.
   In the late winter and early spring which will
be around February to April in most parts of the
United States, you need to apply some TALSTAR PL
to your turf. These slow releasing granules will
kill off young nymph grasshoppers as they emerge
from their eggs. Gardeners and property owners who
have had an ongoing problem with grasshoppers need
to make special note of this time; by treating
early you will successfully break the cyle which
is having a negative impact on your plants and
landscape. Talstar is easy to apply and can
be spread with a HAND SPREADER to get proper
distribution and coverage. If you are in a dry
spell or generally arid part of the country,
water them in following application. The granules
will release into the ground providing control
of many turf pests which emerge in the spring.
   As the spring turns into summer, watch local
grasshopper activity. If you treated in the spring,
you should see a decrease in seasonal activity.
The Talstar should have prevented most of the emerging
nymphs to die off. If you begin to notice increasing 
populations by June or July, it is possible new
grasshoppers are emerging and developing from other
places besides your turf; some species lay their
eggs on plants, above ground, and spraying the
adults during the summer and fall is the only
way to break the cycle. Make sure to watch local
grasshopper populations as well. If local media
and farm reports are talking about migrating
locusts, get ready to do some treating. By spraying
your plants before they arrive you will head
off a lot of damage. Grasshoppers may like to eat
but they don't like the taste of certain products.
Treat ahead of their arrival with CYFLUTHRIN.
Cyfluthrin is odorless and will effectively keep
feeding grasshoppers at bay. Expect to see some land
on treated plants but they will die before they
are able to cause significant damage. Apply the
Cyfluthrin with a SPRAYER if you have a small 
area to treat. Use a HOSE END SPRAYER if you have
a lot of turf, plants or shrubs to protect. 
   If you already have activity, use the Cyfluthrin
to kill current grasshoppers. However, their protective
design makes it hard to kill them quickly. In order to
get faster results, combine two products with the
Cyfluthrin. SPREADER STICKER will allow the Cyfluthrin
to penetrate the grasshoppers quickly; EXCITER will
give the mix a quick imobilizing agent allowing the
Cyfluthrin to do it's job before more damage occurs.
Mix all three together in your Pump Sprayer or Hose
End Sprayer and apply a liberal amount to all plants
where you see activity or are likely draw activity.
Spray to the point of runoff. Treatments may only be
needed every week or two but if you are experiencing
a massive onslaught of locusts, don't be afraid to
treat every few days until the intial wave subsides.
Once activity slows, expect to find some damage but
most importantly, be sure there are none around able
to lay eggs and get established. Do this by closely
watching what happens following your treatments. If
activity stops, you may not need to treat anymore.
If you still find new ones through the rest of the
summer and into the fall, continue to spray.
   Once the late summer turns to fall, generally
August through December, your spraying will keep
local actvity in check. This will do a great job of
preventing successful egg laying or population
establishment. In most cases, the spraying will knock
out all activity. However, large populations will
leave your turf vulnerable. If you find spraying is
killing off most activity but some grasshoppers are
still finding their way onto your propery, treat with 
the Talstar PL. These granules will kill off these
last adults as they land in turf trying to lay eggs.
A late season treatment will insure you don't have to
contend with them next year.

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