Anyone have experience combating grasshoppers organically or biologically on flowering plants? The neem and karanja oil kept them at bay through veg, but now that I have quit spraying in flower, they are taking a liking to a few of my ladies.
It also doesn’t help that I can’t let the chickens free range anymore until I can dispatch the bloodthirsty fox living next door, as the yard pimps really put the hammer down on the bug populations.
Anyhow, I need a solution that is proven for flowering plants.
I have many bird feeders and bird baths for the birds to use. The problem is, after a historical early ice storm 2 years back, the bird populations really took a hit around here and hasn’t really rebounded around here yet.
We are also dealing with extreme drought conditions and an absolutely ridiculous amount hoppers because of it. Its almost like the perfect storm.
I guess I was just hopefull someone had the magic bullet. Hahahaha
A grasshopper disease called Nosema locustae can slowly kill the pests. It’s available as a dry, flaky product under the label Nolo Bait, which you can apply to areas where grasshoppers lay their eggs. It’s important to reapply it after a rain. It’s most effective on young grasshoppers, but not all grasshopper species are susceptible to the disease. Another option is a garlic-based repellent ($12, Arbico Organics).
We get swarms of them in the late summer where i live. They’ll munch the leaves and have sex on the stalks but they tend to leave the flowers alone. I try and feed them to the black widows in my yard, but they tend to break out of the webbing.The birds where i live won’t touch them. I’ve been killing them on sight.
The Nolo bait also sold as semispore bait are the most effective, but I think there is a manufacturing shortage this year as it is out of stock everywhere it seems…
