Hoppers

[Anonymous]

Last year parts of this country up here- especially west of me- were hit hard by grasshoppers...Luckily while we had some they weren't as bad in either our pasture or hayland...Everyone was hoping this wet cool spring had stopped their hatching or done them in--
BUT yesterday I was talking to a fellow about 30 miles west of me that said they are hatching in swarms-- about the size of big mosquitos now- but in thicker swarms than mosquitos....He said he tried to bale some hay that morning- and the windrow was just covered with them...(Extra protein :???: :wink: )

 

[Silver]

We've got swarms of them here already too. In places it looks like the ground is alive. Between those little devils and the lack of rain we may have to drastically reduce the cow numbers this fall

 

[highlonesome]

The hoppers are bad in Belle Fourche as well...they cover the concrete pad in front of the garage! When you walk you cant miss stepping on them, they are everywhere! :roll: Hopefully, the population wont be as bad as it looks, cuz it looks pretty bad.

 

[Faster horses]

So far, so good here. I did see one little one on a plant outside.

When will we know if they got a fungus from the wet and
cold spring?

 

[TXTibbs]

at least they arn't katydids :wink: :shock: :lol: :?

 

[Dylan Biggs]

So far, so good here. I did see one little one on a plant outside.

When will we know if they got a fungus from the wet and
cold spring?

It helps to know when they hatched. It may not have been hot and dry long enough for them to even have a good hatch.

Do some pasture checks see what you find.

Hopefully not much.

Here is a good link,http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/pests/e272-1.htm#Natural

 

[Hanta Yo]

So far, so good here. I did see one little one on a plant outside.

When will we know if they got a fungus from the wet and
cold spring?

We're putting out Semaspore, it's a protozoan which will kill those who eat it, and passed on through cannibalism. Go to www.planetnatural.com and order it, can also google Nosema locustae to find out how it works. The one insecticide we used 10 yrs ago when we had the problem took care of the grasshoppers and also killed a couple of birds that ate the dead grasshoppers sooooo that is no longer available. We've got major grasshopper numbers that are 1/2 inch right now, and that is the size to use the Semaspore on. Good luck, I sure hope it works for us.

 

[Kato]

Our grasshoppers have all drowned.

 

[TXTibbs]

had a little over an inch here tonight and these katydid's in my trees just soaked it up like it was lotion....I think they all just took the free bath and grew another inch....they are out there squawking as I type....Had four of them lurking on my door just waiting for me to step out this morning so they could drop and slit my throat! Evil little ******

 

[Silver]

So far, so good here. I did see one little one on a plant outside.

When will we know if they got a fungus from the wet and
cold spring?

We're putting out Semaspore, it's a protozoan which will kill those who eat it, and passed on through cannibalism. Go to www.planetnatural.com and order it, can also google Nosema locustae to find out how it works. The one insecticide we used 10 yrs ago when we had the problem took care of the grasshoppers and also killed a couple of birds that ate the dead grasshoppers sooooo that is no longer available. We've got major grasshopper numbers that are 1/2 inch right now, and that is the size to use the Semaspore on. Good luck, I sure hope it works for us.

Have you used it before? If not let us know how it works. On the surface it looks like it's very expensive at $15 per acre. But if you only have to do a few acres to get them all sick it would be pretty cheap. We are over run here.

 

[Anonymous]

There has been planes buzzing around here for the last 2 - 3 weeks spraying for them. The state has some type of program that ranchers can sign up for to have their pasture sprayed. It cost a dollar an acre to have your pasture sprayed. Although a dollar doesn't sound like much, when it takes 40-60 acres to raise a calf it gets real expensive. For easy figuring, say the calf needs 50 acres and brings $500 at weaning, those figures are hard to digest. I'm just glad that we made a hard cull back in the winter. Even if we get hit with hoppers, we should still be able to make it thru. Hopefully the weather has helped us out though as I havent seen any hoppers for a while.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank God- I was fencing around a bunch of pasture today- that is knee deep in grass- and moved some cows down on the creek (water levels finally dropped to get them across the crossings ) and I didn't see a hopper one......