Re: grasshopper control

Donald, you've probably already looked at some of these ideas, but there
is a lot of stuff on the web about controling/reducing grasshopper
populations.  A google search for <grasshopper predators> turned up a
lot of interesting stuff.  Birds apparently are good at preventing
outbreaks, & will eat about half of the grasshoppers there are, but
don't necessarily help much once the population booms.

Here's an excerpt of other biological controls I found:
=====<http://www.ghorganics.com/page12.html>============
Predators

 Blister beetle and ground beetle larvae attack the egg pods of
grasshoppers. They are both capable of consuming  between 50 to 60% of
grasshopper egg pods.

     Snakes, toads, cats and skunks feast on hoppers. [so, Donald, be
glad for the copperheads! <g>]
     Bird predators include bluebirds, brown thrashers, crows, hawks,
mockingbirds, meadowlarks and sparrows.
     Horse-hair worm, a large nematode up to several inches in length
parasitizes and kills hoppers. [euuww!]
     Robber flies and spiders will feed on grasshoppers.
     Field mice and many types of rodents will dig up and eat the egg
pods. They also feed on the adults.
     Chickens, ducks and Guinea hens are prolific consumers of hoppers.
     Preying mantis love to eat grasshoppers!
     Fish: One of our visitors reminded us how fish love to dine on
hoppers! He goes on to add that live hoppers make
     excellent fish bait and that the bigger the hopper the bigger the
fish you can catch. Bass are extremely fond of them.
=============================

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>




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