Grasshopper Apocolypse 2022 Coming?

 

I do not know how widespread this is, but in southern Swisher I have noted on the ever-diminishing islands of truly green grass and Johnson grass clumps in bar-ditches an incredible population of grasshopper nymphs congregating on their preferred foliage.  This week I took the time to count a typical square foot of area in these areas and counted 79 grasshopper nymphs of varying species.  It is true that grasshoppers are usually higher in drought areas and years.  This is because they only have one generation per year with eggs lain on the soil surface, typically near a food source.  If rains are short and water never stands in the area where the eggs are lain, fewer eggs/nymphs drown.  This is usually in conjunction with a reduced population of predators in that area who would normally be ready to devour several nymphs each if the area were attractive or could otherwise support higher populations.  So, in drought areas and seasons, grasshopper population flourish without any checks or balances and develop into large insects that can better defend themselves before predator populations can build under the situations. 

What this means bottom-line level is that if the drought situation continues and these green islands falter to grasshoppers or drought, hungry waves of grasshoppers will eagerly flock to the nearest green vegetation with biblical plague like waves.  We should not only be ready for this pest in production fields margins and hay crops when and if this move takes place, but yards, golf courses, gardens, and horticulture plants are all about to be in serious danger.  We may have somewhere between a week to a month before we start seeing this apocalyptic wave of pestilence hits civilization in West Texas.  If we can receive widespread rains the situation could be abated keeping the higher than normal grasshopper population spread out across pastures and in bar-ditches with predators hopefully reducing their number.  Otherwise, we should prepare to receive some unwelcome chewing pests on just about everything green in the area.  

 

Blayne