It’s every gardener’s worst nightmare: grasshoppers. These small, red, yellow, or green insects can completely decimate a beautiful garden if given the chance. These bugs aren’t picky: they will eat any and all of your plants you’ve tried so hard to cultivate! No one wants their hard work to be destroyed by pests. However, if you have a grasshopper infestation in your garden, you may also be wary about putting chemicals on your precious plants. The grasshoppers are bad enough, and adding harsh chemicals to your delicate fruits, vegetables, and flowers isn’t always the answer. Here are some natural grasshopper elimination methods to help save your garden and keep those pesky grasshoppers away.
Hand Removal: If you have only a couple grasshoppers, and not a widespread infestation, grasshoppers can be removed and killed by hand. While wearing gloves, simply pick up the bugs and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. The water will drown them. This is best performed at night or at the coolest part of the day when the grasshoppers are less active.
Trapping: A similar method, also ideal for small grasshopper populations, allows for quick removal of grasshoppers but is less time-consuming than picking through your plants to find them. For this method, fill a small dish or can with 1 part molasses and 10 parts water. The grasshoppers will be attracted to the molasses, and will drown in the solution. Keep in mind that you may need to place this mixture out daily for a few days to a week to ensure all of the grasshoppers are killed.
Leaf Dusting: This form of natural grasshopper elimination requires only one ingredient found in nearly every kitchen: flour! Using ordinary white flour, dust the leaves of the plants the grasshoppers are munching on. The flour will gum up the insect’s mouths and prevent them from eating the leaves.
Grasshopper Bait: Purchase a commercial grasshopper bait that contains Nosema Locustae, a grasshopper disease. Place the infected pellets in your garden, near where the grasshoppers are feeding. Within 14 days, at least 50% of your grasshoppers will consume the pellets and be killed.
Extra Tips for Prevention:
- Apply a garlic spray to plants to deter grasshoppers and other insects.
- Roto-till crops in the spring.
- Leave a strip of grass around your garden. This grass deters grasshoppers from crossing over from other plants in your yard to your garden.
- Make sure all living grasshoppers are killed. Most grasshopper infestations carry on to the next year.
Following the above natural grasshopper elimination methods can greatly reduce — or possibly eliminate — grasshoppers from your garden. However, even after consulting these methods, it is wise to contact a pest control agent to determine if your grasshopper population is indeed under control. A licensed technician can discover the root of the problem, and prevent the grasshoppers from returning in future years. Get Lost Pest Control is the perfect company to solve your grasshopper problem. Our fast, no-contract service will remove the grasshoppers plaguing your garden and help you get back to enjoying your beautiful plants again.