Grass Eaters

• Clearwinged, Speckledwinged and Redshanks grasshoppers will eat grass. Clearwinged grasshoppers are yellow or brown with mottled forewings and clear hind wings. They prefer fescues, bluegrasses, wheatgrasses and slender hairgrass. Speckledwing grasshoppers make a crackling noise when they fly. They can also be identified by their colored hind wings, which often have a yellow or reddish spot on them. Redshanks are found in dry, prairie areas. They have splotched and banded bodies that make good camouflage on bare soil. Their hind wings are bright pink, orange or yellow.
  
  

Protozoan Baits

• One biological option for grasshopper control is a bait with the protozoan Nosema locustae. These baits have some advantages. They're very selective and only affect grasshoppers. In addition, the protozoan disease can be spread to the grasshopper offspring through the eggs. However, these baits don't infect all species equally, and they're slow acting. Although new hatchlings are killed within a few days, the bait has to be used over several years to reduce adult populations. Protozoan baits are more effective when combined with other control methods.
  
  

Insecticides and Repellents

• Insecticides are an option when grasshoppers infest large areas. Insecticides are available as sprays or baits. Using an insecticide spray that contains canola oil increases its effectiveness because canola oil makes grass look more appetizing to grasshoppers. Baits are a mix of an insecticide like carbaryl with bran. They're applied at a rate of 1 or 2 lbs. per acre, and have to be reapplied after rain. In March, 2011 5 lbs. of bait cost $37.90. Consult a local county extension for information about effective insecticides in your area. According to the Colorado State University County Extension, using vegetable oil and garlic-based repellents is ineffective and may even encourage grasshoppers to feed on the plants.
  
  

Other Suggestions

• The Alabama Cooperative Extension suggests trapping grasshoppers in a quart container half-filled with a 10 percent molasses and water mixture. Some people use chickens, turkeys and other poultry to control grasshoppers. However, these birds can damage lawns. A bird feeder filled with bread, peanut butter, suet and raisins will attract birds like robins, grossbeaks, sparrows, juncos and orioles, who will stick around for the grasshoppers. Those birds are also drawn to shrubs like Shrubby St. John's Wort, Alpine Currant and Fragrant Sumac.