Grasshoppers

[nr]

Just read in the news about the "expected" grasshopper invasion and hoping you get a cold wet spring to kill the nymphs off.

It said the govt had spent $5.9 million (if I remember) to count the number of grasshoppers in each state which wiped out its budget so now has nothing to give to kill the insects which seemed like money poorly spent as usual. Just wondering what your take is on that.

 

[per]

Nothing more frustrating than a grasshopper infestation. 5.9 million wouldn't go far toward the actual cost of spraying grasshoppers in multiple states. Remember also when you are killing grasshoppers you are killing the helpful creatures as well. The best defence against any pest infestation is to keep the brix/sugar levels high in the plants you are growing. Insects cannot metabolize sugar and will avoid high brix plants. So the answer lies in plant nutrition. As an aside, even if your crop is not high enough to keep the bugs away, one point higher brix than your neighbor will encourage the infestation to be there instead of your place.

 

[Ben H]

I just read this on Alan's Blog

Grasshopper Explosion Predicted
Monday, 29 March 2010
The western United States could experience its worst outbreak of grasshoppers since 1985 this summer according to the USDA. A federal survey of 17 states taken last fall found critically high levels of adult grasshoppers in parts of Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, the Wall Street Journal reported. "The population could be very, very high this year," said Charles Brown, who manages grasshopper suppression for the USDA. Unfortunately, the USDA spent nearly all of its $5.6 million grasshopper budget counting the grasshoppers and currently has no money for suppression efforts. If there is a warm and dry late May and June, experts warn the West may not grow a crop of any kind this summer.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Environment Canada is predicting warm and dry for the next 3 months.
On the north end of the ranch we have had only 4 for inches of total precip in the last 21 months. On the south end about 7. We have a DU project that normally this time of year would be backed up a mile, not a drop in it now.

 

[per]

The good thing about these long range forecasts is that they are not always accurate.

 

[greg]

The good thing about these long range forecasts is that they are not always accurate.

hope yur right but it's not lookin good around here battle rivers so low could almost walk across it :?

 

[Dylan Biggs]

The good thing about these long range forecasts is that they are not always accurate.

Especially when they are forecasting rain. :lol: :lol:

 

[hillsdown]

The good thing about these long range forecasts is that they are not always accurate.

hope yur right but it's not lookin good around here ,battle rivers so low could almost walk across it :?

Same around here, it seems all of the moisture is going to the west of the QE2 .. We really haven`t had any precip since Feb. Add that on to the dry hot summer.. :roll:


We had to have the fire department out a few days ago, looks like someone flick a butt out the window and the grass caught on fire, the strong winds had no problem making it grow fast and furious, alot of pasture and fence posts were destroyed before it was put out..