Grasshoppers & Crickets

Over 20,000 species of grasshoppers have been identified around the world, and over 1,000 exist in just the United States. Grasshoppers are brown with some darker markings, have a black herringbone pattern on their hind femurs, and big hind legs for jumping. They have two pairs of wings: the forewings narrow and relatively hard and the hind wings are large and membranous. Their antennae are not very long and have 20-24 segments. They have conspicuous eyes and a pair of appendages at the end of their abdomen. Males have a single unpaired plate at the end of their abdomen, and females have two pairs of valves (triangle-shaped) at end of their abdomen that are used to dig in sand when laying eggs.

Many species of grasshoppers are general herbivores feeding on a variety of plants, but some species only like grasses. Some species of grasshopper can occur in very large numbers and cause serious crop damage and loss of plants in pastures. Grasshoppers are around in the spring and summer, but are most noticeable in the autumn. Natural predators of grasshoppers include birds, lizards, mantids, spiders, and rodents.

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To discourage these pests from your garden or crop, try Garlic Barrier's formula for grasshopper control. See the sidebar Other Uses: