Grasshoppers may appear peaceful and calm, but they can also get aggressive and destroy your garden crops.
While kids enjoy playing with these pests and chasing after them, grasshoppers can be nuisances that can make your lives miserable.
Defoliation is a grasshopper’s most detrimental effect, which can worsen if you don’t mitigate them immediately.
Grasshoppers are also insects you must watch out for if you don’t want your landscape to be ruined.
This guide explores everything you must know about these insects, including the following:
- Why are grasshoppers attracted to your house?
- Where are these insects coming from?
- Natural and practical ways to get rid of these unwanted pests.
We included everything you need to know about a grasshopper’s behavior and what drives it to invade your home.
The next time you encounter this insect infestation, you should know what to do after reading this guide.
Why Grasshoppers Are Inside Your House
Like other pests, grasshoppers are attracted to your home because they find a potential hiding spot where they can thrive and survive.
These insects might also have located potential food sources as they mate and lay their eggs.
Grasshoppers are also fond of gardens, especially when there are tall grasses and overgrown bushes where they can hide. And because there are fewer predators in home lawns and yards, grasshoppers find it more peaceful to live in these areas.
Another reason why you see grasshoppers inside your property is because they need to lay their eggs. Their eggs also cause a grasshopper infestation, especially when they will all hatch simultaneously.
Poor maintenance is also an essential factor. Because these insects are slender and flexible, they can easily enter your home through the following:
- Under doors
- Through your pet doors
- Damaged weatherstripping, door screens, and windows
- Cracks and crevices
- Orifices, grates, and vents
While we all know that grasshoppers are typically bigger than other pests, they can squeeze their bodies into any entryway, big or small.
Eight Effective Ways To Get Rid of Grasshoppers
The first step to getting rid of grasshoppers is to do it naturally.
We always want to be more environmentally friendly; the best way is to use products with no toxic chemicals or substances.
Moreover, getting rid of grasshoppers naturally can be more economical, simple, and convenient.
1. Tilling
Tilling is a naturally effective way to ensure female grasshoppers don’t just lay their eggs wherever they want in your garden.
The best time to do this is during September, the grasshoppers’ mating and breeding seasons. This is also the time between mid-fall to the start of spring.
Moreover, tilling is also useful in ensuring your plants always get the richest and most nutritious soil.
For maximum effectiveness, we recommend tilling your soil at least biannually.
2. Always Prune Your Garden Regularly
Regular pruning ensures grasses are short enough and bushes are not overgrown.
Always remember that a well-maintained landscape helps in exposing grasshoppers to nearby predators.
When you regularly trim bushes and plants in your garden, you’re decreasing potential hiding spots where adult grasshoppers can thrive.
3. Sprinkle All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is possibly one of the simplest solutions in this guide.
When grasshoppers consume this type of flour, their mouths can gum up, making it difficult for them to eat and feed on tinier creatures. As a result, they starve and die.
You can sprinkle all-purpose flour on the leaves of your garden and indoor plants. Be careful not to use other types of flour because they contain salt, which is harmful to plants.
4. Cover All Your Plants
If grasshoppers cannot reach and damage your plants, they will likely leave and find another neighborhood to invade.
Use this to your advantage and use plastic sheetings or floating row covers to cover your plants.
The cover creates a barrier between grasshoppers and plants, protecting your landscape and garden.
5. Use Neem Oil
Neem oil is a natural plant extract found in most insecticides. And it’s also proven to repel grasshoppers and eliminate these tricky pests.
We recommend using neem oil against young grasshoppers and nymphs.
Mix a few drops of this essential oil in a gallon of water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the leaves of your plants.
You can also spray the mixture on the corners of your house to get rid of grasshoppers fast.
6. Boric Acid Always Works
We’ve probably mentioned boric acid several times in our guides because it always works.
Boric acid can kill many insects, including bugs, roaches, flies, and spiders.
This chemical substance interferes with the animal’s respiratory system, causing it to experience difficulty in breathing.
Mix boric acid with sugar or grasshopper baits to kill these insects more effectively.
7. Set Up Bait Stations
Bait traps always work, regardless of the pest you try to eradicate.
Regarding grasshoppers, we recommend using molasses because it’s proven to be one of the most effective bait traps to get rid of grasshoppers.
Get a bowl and create a mixture of 10% molasses and 90% water. Place the bowl near your plants.
Grasshoppers are attracted to molasses, and the water will cause them to drown.
8. Use Insecticidal Soap Water
Soapy water is also an effective natural pesticide against grasshoppers.
Mixing mild soap or detergent with water is also one of the cheapest ways to eliminate grasshoppers.
Thanks to the soap’s chemical elements, they interfere with the grasshopper’s outer layer, which eventually leads to the insect’s death.
Conclusion
Grasshoppers are some of the most silent yet deadliest insects you’ll ever encounter in your gardens.
They are not fond of making noise while approaching your property, but they can cause many detrimental consequences, such as destroying your crops and defoliating.
You must always be prepared to eliminate them once you encounter one or two of these insects.
Follow our guide for the most natural and harmless solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Exterminate All Grasshoppers in My Garden?
As much as grasshoppers can be detrimental to your plants in the garden, you should not get rid of everything. Grasshoppers maintain a healthy balance in the ecosystem, and removing every specie you see in your yard is also detrimental.
Can Grasshoppers Bite?
Grasshoppers can bite humans using their sharp mandibles. However, remember that these insects are more peaceful than other species.
They will only bite when they feel cornered or threatened. A grasshopper bite is as painful as a bee sting and can make the area red and itchy.
