Grasshopper

Common: Grasshopper, Migrating, Clear-Winged

Scientific: Melanoplus sanguinipes, Camnula pellacida

Crop Hosts: Various species attack nearly all cultivated and wild plants.

Identification and Life Cycle: Grasshoppers pass the winter in the egg stage. The eggs are laid below the soil surface primarily in uncultivated ground such as field margins and roadsides. The young hoppers do not differ from the adult except in size, and they lack wings. There are usually five to six nymphal instars that require 40 to 60 days to reach the adult stage. The adults continue to feed until the first heavy frost. Eggs are deposited during the latter part of September.

Geographical Distribution: The migratory grasshopper is widespread and generally very destructive. The clear-winged grasshopper is second in importance and is the most common western species.

Damage and Treatment: They are particularly destructive in spring — wheat growing sections where they eat the young developing seedlings. Corn, soybeans, etc., are also attacked. The injury usually starts on the side of the field since the insects seldom originate in the cultivated field.

Treatment should be made when insect populations and/or damage levels reach economic thresholds. Refer to local University Extension Pest Management Guidelines for specific state thresholds.