Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK
Oklahoma Alfalfa Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

It seems like we get more grasshoppers during dry weather. Is there something we can do?
Early summer is the time to control grasshoppers. Producers should not wait until they are winged and large, when control is difficult or impossible. Eight to nine adult grasshoppers per square yard should cause alarm to forage producers. That many grasshoppers can eat as much as a cow. Grasshopper problems will not go away until hard freezes come in late fall.  Grasshoppers normally build up on field edges, and that is the best place to scout and treat when high numbers begin developing. Treating border areas is much cheaper than treating whole fields.  The following partial list of insecticides may be useful in controlling grasshoppers in areas where the number of small grasshoppers has reached the economic threshold. Carefully read and follow all label directions before using any pesticide.   Chemical Control of Grasshoppers in Alfalfa Product  Rate per Acre   (pounds/acre) Malathion 1-1.25 Sevin® 1.5  Parathion (Ethyl or Methyl) 0.5 Cygon® or DeFend® 0.5 Furadan® 0.25
Phil Mulder, Extension Entomologist  Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology  Oklahoma State University

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