Get Rid Of Lubber Grasshoppers

Q: How do I rid my porch and my yard of these ugly lubber grasshoppers? They eat my tomato vines and crawl everywhere! 

A: You need a time machine! The big yellow/orange/black adult lubber grasshoppers are not very susceptible to any insecticide. But in late spring, after the eggs hatch in March or April, the young ones are pretty easy to kill. They are easy to spot because there are usually lots of them in an area. The bodies are black with a yellow stripe going from head to tail. They love daylily leaves. Landscape insecticides that contain carbaryl, permethrin, or bifenthrin are effective then. For organic control, a well-aimed shoe sole is 100% effective, however the sound of their insect bodies being crushed is horrifying. Even though the clumsy, flightless adults are easy to catch and handle, don’t do it. They make a loud hissing noise and exude a stinky liquid. If your time machine is in the shop for repairs right now, you’ll just have to wait until next spring to spot and kill the young ones then.