Grasshoppers are emerging

Grasshopper Suppression Workshop will be held Tuesday, May 18th, 3:00 p.m. Broadus Community Center.

By PR Extension Office

As limited moisture has initiated the growth of grass, the possibility of another devastating summer of grasshoppers is becoming a greater concern.

“I’m receiving reports of new grasshopper hatches,” said Powder River Extension Agent Mary Rumph. “The good news is that many of species that hatch early are not necessarily the destructive grasshoppers we experienced later in the summer last year,” said Rumph.

Gary Adams, State Plant Health Director for Montana, APHIS, and his staff will be presenting information on grasshopper biology and control at the Broadus Community Center on Tuesday, May 18th at 3:00 p.m. Two credits are available for private applicators who attend. In addition to the educational workshop, landowners will have an opportunity to finalize their maps for the grasshopper suppression program, if control is necessary and funding available.

The APHIS team will be in the area on Monday and Tuesday and, weather permitting, is interested in scouting areas where hatches are being reported. Identification of the species of grasshoppers hatching will be helpful in predicting future populations.

The seasonal hatch periods of grasshopper species have been categorized into five hatching groups. The very early hatch occurs from late April to early May; the early hatch occurs from mid to late May; the intermediate hatch occurs from early to mid-June; and the grasshoppers that overwinter in the nymph stage have a very late hatch that occurs from mid to late July. The actual time of hatch can vary from year to year and depends on the total amount of accumulated heat units received by the eggs, which is dependent on the depth of egg deposition.