How to Kill Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers pose a significant hazard to garden plants, including vegetables, flowers and other leafy greenery. However, killing grasshoppers can pose a significant challenge, and many remedies that work on other common garden pests prove ineffective when used against them. Learning which remedies do work and how to use them can help you keep these nuisance insects from destroying your lawns, trees and garden plants.

Several types of insecticides are effective against grasshoppers, including chemical insecticides and specially formulated fungal insecticides that target grasshoppers, specifically. Among the more effective solutions are those containing carbaryl. To spray carbaryl, mix 20 ml to 2L of water. Shake the bottle well before using, and spray the leaves of ornamental plants thoroughly, allowing for a minimum of runoff. Carbaryl mixtures should not be used on food-producing plants, nor should they be applied if rain is expected in the next 24 hours. To protect your skin, wear a long-sleeved shirt, pants, waterproof gloves and covered shoes with socks when applying carbaryl. Choose specific insecticides for specific types of plants, as insecticides for ornamental plants differ from those for vegetable gardens, for instance.

Don't make the mistake of not using an insecticide to control grasshoppers until adult grasshoppers appear. Insecticides are most effective against newly hatched juveniles, and they are rarely effective against adults, so results are best when you use insecticide during the earlier months of the growing season -- mid to late June in most areas. When applying insecticides, it is important to target the source of the infestation if possible. Surrounding grassland and ditches are common areas of grasshopper egg laying and growth.

Grasshoppers have numerous natural predators. If you prefer to use insects to fight insect pests, purchase praying mantises for your garden. Larger mantises feed off of grasshoppers and other smaller insects. Buy egg cases -- with 3 egg cases recommended per 5,00 square feet of garden. Keeping poultry, such as guinea hens or turkeys, drives down grasshopper populations in large numbers. However, these predators may often be outmatched in years of particularly strong grasshopper outbreaks.

You can make many organic repellents at home for grasshopper control. Among the more effective solutions are pungent herbs such as garlic. Combine 3 ounces of minced garlic cloves with 1 ounce of mineral oil. Soak for 24 hours and strain. Mix 16 ounces of water with 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion and add 1 tablespoon of castile soap to this mixture. Combine the fish and soap mixture with the garlic oil emulsion. Add this 2 tablespoons mixture to 1 pint of water and spray plants thoroughly to protect against grasshoppers. However, bear in mind that this repellent does not kill grasshoppers and is only one of the measures you should use to protect gardens from these pests.