Grasshoppers are a major pest on a variety of plants. They will eat the new growth of grass and also love sweet potato vines, dracaena, and almost every other garden plant. There are many different species of grasshoppers. They lay their eggs in the soil. The grasshoppers then hatch as nymphs in early spring through early summer. The nymphs resemble adults. They begin feeding on various plants right after hatching.

Grasshoppers are notoriously hard to control since they often migrate long distances and new ones are constantly flying into residential yards. They are easiest to control as young nymphs when they are around 1/2 inch long. Chemical products containing Permethrin such as Bonide’s Eight and Hi-Yield’s 38 Plus work when grasshoppers are young. Bonide’s Malathion also gives good control to young nymphs. When grasshoppers are mature, putting row cover over vegetables or removing by hand is the best options.