Grasshopper numbers varying in region

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

June 13, 2002 -- Individuals who are noticing grasshoppers in their yard, or in their pasture, should not be surprised. After all, it is that time of year for them.

The problem in some areas in East Texas is there is already a great amount of grasshoppers. On a scale of one to 10, some agents are seeing 10s.

"We are exporting grasshoppers. How many do you need?" said Rick Hirsch, Henderson County Extension agent. "They don't seem to be as widespread as last year, but where they are, they are a problem."

Another county being hit hard is Fannin.

"Grasshoppers are terrible. They are probably an 11 on a 10 point scale," Fannin County Extension Agent Ricky Maxwell said. "They are worse on the south side of the county."

But, there are counties like Bowie, Camp, and Panola that are not seeing bunches of hoppers.

"I am getting more and more calls," said Galen Logan, Camp County Extension agent. "We are seeing a few on the edge of corn fields, but they are not terrible. We are probably around a three on the scale."

Eric Lum, Extension agent in Bowie County, and Doug McKinney, Extension agent in Panola County, also report few grasshoppers.

"We are due for them to be bad. It just hasn't happened yet. But if we keep missing the rain showers, the numbers will increase," McKinney stated.

"Missing the rain" will indeed cause problems, especially for crop producers, according to Dr. James Robinson with the Texas Cooperative Extension.

"If the rains are adequate, many of the grasshoppers will feed on weeds and other foods and they will stay away from crops. An added benefit of adequate rain, is it will keep the hoppers in their natural habitat and away from gardens and home landscapes," Robinson said.

With the past winter being dry and mild, there was a large hatch of grasshoppers in Central Texas. A couple of weeks ago, entomologists were hearing reports of farmers finding the ground under their feet squirming with grasshopper nymphs.

Grasshopper hatches are normally controlled by a fungus which attacks the eggs in the soil. During a dry winter, the fungus doesn't flourish and more eggs are allowed to hatch.

Because the grasshoppers are still small, now is the perfect time to treat.

"At this time of the year, the majority of grasshoppers are in the nymphal (young) stage. These small grasshoppers are easier to control when compared to the larger adult stage," Robinson noted.

To combat the grasshopper problem, producers are advised to treat when they count 25 grasshoppers per square yard. Over an acre, this count would equal 120,000 grasshoppers.

In summary, with grasshopper populations on the upswing, producers should take note of two key observations.

"The key to controlling grasshoppers is to treat early. When they are still small," Maxwell said. "Another key is everyone needs to cooperate in trying to control the insects. It doesn't do any good for one person to spray and their neighbor not spray. We have to work together."