I have been fighting them for over 10 yrs. I have been in my home 22 yrs. I have no idea where they came from. I have killed over 300 of them this yr. Most were only 1/4th inch long but now they are almost 2 inches long. I only know to kill them by stepping on them but now the few I am still finding are almost 2 inches long. They are gross to step on when they are this size but they must die.
another
Near as I can tell, it's an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper. I can't find anything closer.
Thank you so much. I did a search and found pictures of them. Here is a couple links I found interesting and filled with great information. I knew the first time I see the black it meant poison. So they don't have a natural predator without making the bird or animal sick. Hope one year I get to them all before they can lay eggs.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5890758_kill-eastern-lubber-grasshoppers.html
This next link I can't believe this guy likes them so much. Can't be a gardener
http://blog.hmns.org/?p=4350
Ilovejesus99
years ago when my uncle was alive he garden very natural and he would take those nasty things and grind them up and then strain out the larger parts and use the liquid (after he added water) to spray back on his vegies and flowers, this method seem to work to keep them from eating everything.
They use to live in east texas, Reklaw, TX.
Hope you are able to get them before they have others.
Jan
Ewwwww great idea but I have a weak stomach. It is the same weak stomach I have when I step on the big ones and here them crunch and well I will leave the rest to your imagination. Ewwwww I hate these grasshoppers but I love my plants more. I grab the plant when they are babies and slide my hand scooping them and throwing them into the driveway. They can't get under anything while I grab for more and then I step one them.
Reminds me of when my oldest DGD was 2. She didn't want to get out of the truck because of an adult 2 1/2 inch green grasshopper. I stepped on it and she said "Take that you suucckker" I laughed so hard. Now she is almost 11.
I want to add this to the insect data base but don't know which is Common name Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Order ?
Family ?
Genus ?
Species?
Romalea guttata, known commonly as the eastern lubber grasshopper or just lubber grasshopper,
Any help would be appreciated as I tried but did not find it in the data base.
I my garden they love all the strap-leaf plants, daylily, crinum, orchids, etc including the bulbs.. They require a dry winter/spring to hatch out in any numbers and seems each clutch has between 20 and 30+ hatchlings. Wasp spray works exceptionally well on the tiny ones...as does a well placed shoe...grin I understand spinosad also works well. they can get up to almost 4 inches long and according to what I have read, they were once used in formulas for cough syrup. (ICK)
http://bugguide.net/node/view/2807
http://www.grasshopperfacts.net/lubber_grasshopper/lubber_grasshopper.html
cough syrup...... don't know if I will be taking anymore of that stuff wonder what the name is so I would know.....LOL
Ilovejesus99 I hear ya on the crunch.... get me wigged out... but my uncle would grab and twist their heads off then throw the bodies in a jar when there enough he would make his juice....LOL
Jan
Ewwww Jan that set off my gag reflex..Twisting their heads off...yuck. I put some in a glass jar as my son wanted to use them for bait. After a few died they begin to stink. There are dead flies around the jar. They must be deadly even after they are dead. I didn't figure out the dead flies till now. Guess your uncle didn't know he had cough syrup...double ewwwww.
themoonhowl I just read an article says they love Criniums, Amaryllis and so forth. I have a lot of Amaryllis and last year they were eaten pretty bad. I think they will bounce back.
That bug guide link will tell you all about the evil critters. I try to check out their usual feeding grounds in the early morning when they are up on the crinims, etc.. Very easy to just snip them in half with an old pair of kitchen shears. Quick, sure and cheap.
My method, Jean. I keep them with me all summer. The snippers, not the grasshoppers.
My son did not like me killing them when they were small but I told him to go in the house. I stepped on all of them I could find everytime. My son is 35. Oh well I have a soft spot for some things but not this one.
Yes it was gross when he would do that.... I've gotten brave in my older years as long as I have garden gloves on I will squeesh any bug with my fingers....
Jan
I hear ya Kwanjin...Have scissors will protect is the motto....LOL
I can handle that with the little ones Jan, but the big ones are just gross and kinda "Alien" like....I cut one in half one day, and the front half kept eating for a few seconds afterward.....URK! Nasty critters for sure.
Ewwwwww *gag* it kept eating...how nasty. Death to them all.
themoonhowl
I hear that, makes ya wonder what God was thinking when he created some of the critter that we run across.
Jan
I know HE has a sense of humor Jan....just look at a pangolin or an echidna... guess HE used mosquitos and Lubbers to balance it...GRIN
Moon
Just came upon this thread and I'm totally with you IloveJesus!! Snip, stomp, spray, whatever! We had a hard rain today (yea!!) and the buggies were really out this evening. I was picking okra and found THIS guy eating my eggplant leaves. It was so totally huge, the poops were as big as peas! (okay, petits pois). My best friend was over and she would not let me snip--she doesn't like anything to get killed! So I gave it to her to release by the bayou!! I also caught a brown cat eating my clematis cutting that took forever to root and 2 tiny green wormy things. Those are now compost... Also saw a huge cockroach and mole cricket (or something gross like that). YUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!
Oh, and we saw those grass hoppers at the TX welcome station one year when coming home from New Orleans. They were EVERYWHERE and also very huge.
Bariolio...that green caterpillar looks like one of the tomato hornworms...one single hornworm can strip a plant to the stalk overnight, even skinning big chunks from the fruit making them inedible. Here is some info on them.
http://organicgardening.about.com/od/pestcontrol/p/tomatohornworm.htm
Thanks moon. I know what that sucker is!! I'm going hunting in a bit to see if more are munching my plants. Wish I had a hazsmat suit! I'll chop them as long as my best friend is not hanging over my shoulder LOL :)
You are very welcome. happy Hunting...grin
I am still finding these GHs. Now they are doing the nasty....I believe in mixing pain with their pleasure. DIE!!! DIE!!!! DIE !!!! The crunching sound has become music to my ears!!!! *evil laugh*
you are too funny, when I was up north those stinking jap beetles I loved watching them drown in the soapy water.... or the snails, I am going to H e hocky sticks for enjoying putting salt on the snails and watching them die.....
Jan
