Lubber Grasshoppers Emerging

They come out of the ground in a group. Their coloration is all black with either a yellow or red stripe down their back.

Their favorite plants to each are amaryllis, crinum and rain lilies. They will also eat a wide variety of cultivated plants including citrus, vegetables and ornamental plants.

The best time to control them is at this young stage. They are easiest to find at the end of the day when they are sitting on the tops of plants and are moving more slowly.

Mechanical control methods include crushing them or knocking them into a bucket of soapy water. A biological control agent, the tachinid fly (Anisia serotina), can kill 60 to 90% of their population. There are three "modes of action" chemical control agents for grasshoppers: pyrethroids, carbamates and organophosphates, but normally their populations are NOT high enough to warrant the use of pesticides. See this link for chemical control agents: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig013

For more information about this insect see this link: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in132