hey my name is Nick Volesky with USU Extension's integrated pest management program and i work as
the vegetable ipm associate and my name is Zach Shrumm and i am the arthropod diagnostician and
urban integrated pest management associate for Utah State University extension so right now it's
early July and we are at a community garden site in Logan, Utah and we're going to be looking for
grasshoppers grasshoppers are one of the most problematic conspicuous insects that we have here
in Utah they're a huge problem in our pastures our small grain crops and even our home landscapes
so in this video Zach and I are going to talk about the biology how to monitor for them and what
we can do to manage them so there are hundreds of species of grasshoppers in North America and even
more throughout the world luckily grasshoppers are very easy to identify they look like
a large hopping insect and we know that it's a hopping insect because it has a
very large thickened femur which has a lot of musculature that they that aids them in jumping
and then on the end of that they have a tibia just like humans a femur that's very thick and larger
and then a tibia that's a little bit thinner so grasshoppers there are other insects that
appear to be like grasshoppers that you might confuse for grasshoppers
what you can do is you can look at the length of the femur in relation to the length of the abdomen
so there are some other insects like katydids that have very very large and elongate femurs
that extend well beyond the length of the abdomen however grasshoppers the femur never extends
past the length of the abdomen so that is how you can differentiate between grasshoppers and
some other large hopping insects that we can find in Utah there are three major groups of
grasshoppers that we find in Utah the ones that are typically damaging our crops and our plants
one are the spar throated grasshoppers these grasshoppers are large and robust on their
prostarnum which is the underside of their thorax between the front legs there is a conspicuous
spine present that is used to identify them the next large group are the bandwing grasshoppers
their face is mostly vertical facing up and down they don't have much curvature to their face but
there is a lot of variation here their wings always reach the tip of the abdomen as adults
but many species have wings that extend far past the abdomen when seen jumping and flying
the hind wings are usually colored they can be different colors such as black red or variations
they also tend to make noise when in flight the third group are the slant face grasshoppers as the
name would suggest these faces are very slanted and typically point front to back where the
mouth is pointing towards the back end of their body otherwise their features are quite variable
there are over 400 species of grasshoppers found in the western states of the united states
most of the grasshoppers that are major crop pests at least in Utah are
spar-throated grasshoppers but other types of grasshoppers can feed on crops as well
there are four species in particular that are very common in Utah the first one is the two-striped
grasshopper these can be major pests on small grains alfalfa and corn it is an early emerging
species with the eggs hatching in early spring and adults appearing in the early summer adults are
easy to identify as they have two distinct yellow stripes on their pronodum and extending down the
wings the second species of grasshopper that is a major pest in Utah is the differential grasshopper
this species feeds on weeds grasses fruits and vegetables so it has a very wide host range
eggs hatch in the late spring and adults emerge early to mid-summer as they develop
quickly after their late hatching period due to warmer conditions overall this species is yellow
to tan with black markings and has conspicuous black chevron markings on the enlarged femur
the third species that is a major crop pest and plant pest in Utah is the red-legged grasshopper
these can feed on meadows crop borders and roadside plants eggs hatch about three weeks
after the two-stripe grasshopper which again emerges in the early spring and adults of these
are present in the late summer to mid-fall adults have a bright yellow underside and
characteristically have a bright red hind tibia the fourth species that is a major crop pest in
Utah and is also the most devastating species of grasshopper in the united states is the migratory
grasshopper the migratory grasshopper can feed on forbes grasslands and meadows but is also the most
destructive grasshopper in the u.s to alfalfa grains clover corn and other vegetables this
species hatches in early spring and development to adulthood can take as little as 35 days
swarming and mass movements can occur on any days above 80 degrees fahrenheit
adults are fairly non-descript but overall they are tan to yellow with slightly darker wings
the hind femur are dark brown with lighter brown chevron markings next we're going to discuss
the general life cycle of grasshoppers most grasshoppers in Utah experience one generation per
year meaning that there is one cycle from nymph to adult throughout one specific year these eggs
are typically laid in the summer months and and fall and the nymphs emerge the following spring
as soon as these eggs are laid in the soil they begin to develop once winter hits the development
stops and then finishes in the following spring these eggs are laid in the soil in and nearby
their appropriate habitats they are small ovular and can be laid in groups or dispersed throughout
the soil singly nymph grasshoppers look just like adults except they are smaller and do not have
fully formed wings there are usually five nymphal stages before the grasshopper reaches adulthood
as the nymph stages grow and as they molt you can typically see wing buds start to develop
but nymphs never have fully formed wings adults however do have fully formed wings so if you see
a grasshopper that has wings that extend towards to the abdomen tip or extending past the abdomen
you are most likely looking at an adult grasshopper otherwise they look just like
the nymphal stages adults are the only stage that are capable of reproducing and also have a higher
capacity for movement although nymphs also in some cases have a high capacity for movement as well
there are many climactic and weather conditions that impact grasshopper populations on a yearly
basis the first thing to note is that really cold winters are very unlikely to
completely demolish grasshopper populations for the following year eggs are very freeze tolerant
and with additional snowpack that we experience in Utah it helps to insulate the eggs for the
winter months so it's very unlikely that a very cold winter would kill a lot of the grasshopper
populations for the following year in the spring warm conditions and dry conditions can assist
grasshopper populations and help them explode or help outbreaks cool and wet conditions anytime
those are experienced in the landscape can help hamper populations of grasshoppers and lower their
numbers this is because cool and wet conditions can allow for their parasites their predators
and fungal pathogens to impact their populations and to survive and reproduce a little bit better
so grasshoppers have a wide host range they can affect a lot of our agronomic crops like our
small grains corn and alfalfa and there can also be found in pasture lands with a lot of grasses
and various weed species and if problems are really severe they can be a problem in our
urban areas like within our home landscapes and home gardens as well like we mentioned with their
biology grasshoppers have chewing mouth parts that tear away plant tissues grasshoppers are commonly
thought of as foliage feeders but will also feed on flowers fruits seed heads stems and essentially
all above ground parts that the plant has if numbers are high enough grasshopper feeding can
lead to economic damage for farmers often fence rows and roadsides adjacent to crops serve as
the major source of grasshoppers as the vegetation dries up in such areas grasshoppers that hatched
and matured there will move into adjacent crops grasshopper control products are available in
spray dust or bait formulations dust and baits are relatively expensive but can be applied to
specific areas without sophisticated equipment dust do not readily adhere to the foliage and must
be reapplied frequently baits must be consumed and are most effective when host plants are scarce
small or have dried up use of carbaryl baits like wheat bran laced with carbaryl is particularly
desirable alternative to spraying for grasshoppers in pastures fence rows wasteland and other
roadsides spread evenly throughout the habitat the bait selectively kills only grasshoppers and
other insects that consume it while foraging nymphs are most likely to injure crops while
actively foraging for dry plant material on the ground and therefore their populations are very
effectively reduced in number by baits malathion and carbarol are relatively non-toxic to humans
it may be sprayed to kill grasshoppers along the roadsides and fences make sure you follow
the label instructions listed here are other prop products that are labeled for grasshopper control
in the state of utah these sprays will be most effective when used against nymphs rather than
the adults with several reduced risk products for grasshopper control are also available in utah
nosima la coste sold as Nolobate is a microsportium protozoa that infects grasshoppers
through baiting under ideal conditions coinciding with peak nymphal emergence Nolobate will kill
50 to 70 percent of the population and about 35 to 50 percent of the surviving grasshoppers will be
infected these infected grasshoppers are weakened they feed less and produce fewer eggs many other
natural occurring enemies for grasshoppers in Utah do exist this can include other arthropods birds
mammals and reptiles if you own property with a lot of pasture and ranch land in rural areas in
utah we recommend you look into the usda aphis's grasshopper management program and find out if
you can qualify for funding for their spray and treatment programs if you live in a residential
area you need to work with your neighbors and community to suppress grasshopper populations
treating as wide an area as possible is the key to success when grasshoppers become adults they
can travel great distances and may not remain in one area long enough for an insecticide to be
infective if you have any questions about identifying grasshoppers or questions about
grasshopper behavior or biology feel free to contact the Utah plant pest diagnostic lab
if you guys have additional questions you can also contact your USU Extension county office near you