Lawn Care Utah County – Get rid of Grasshoppers

Among some of the most devastating creatures to your beautiful landscape are grasshoppers.  These small insects can damage and even destroy grass, trees, and flowers. VIRIDIS Lawn Care of Utah County can help you control these pests so your lawn and gardens can remain attractive and healthy. Below is information on grasshoppers that can help you identify if they are causing problems around your home.

Aptly named for their powerful hind legs, grasshoppers range in color from green to brown to yellow. The adults have wings as well and are around 2 inches long although they can be larger or smaller depending on the variety. Grasshoppers generally prefer drier climates. Their population fluctuates year to year depending on the weather patterns with every few years being “outbreak years” with extremely large numbers. They usually cause the most damage in later summer as they have matured and need more food or are drawn to new areas as crops ripen. During heavy outbreak years, they will even feed on many other objects besides landscaping such as fabric window screens, paint, and wooden handles or posts. They often make their homes in unkempt areas of weeds and tall grass which can actually help prevent them from taking over a well maintained landscape area.

The damage they cause to plants is typically noticeable. Holes in leaves of flowers or trees is the easiest to spot. They also feed on grass but it can be harder it notice the holes on grass blades than on the broader leaves of other plants.

Poultry is one of the most effective natural solutions to a grasshopper problem; however raising chickens or turkeys isn’t feasible for many people. Instead, there are insecticides that can help control grasshopper populations. Using insecticides on adult grasshoppers can often fail. They are more resilient as adults. Applying these chemicals during their younger stages (mid June) will prove much more effective. This can help eliminate many grasshoppers before they become a problem. Be sure to always follow insecticide instructions or hire a professional to help insure it is applied correctly and effectively. Also, keeping your lawn free of weeds and tilling open areas in the fall to kill the eggs that may have been laid over the summer can help control the grasshopper population on your property.

While they are difficult to control, grasshoppers are easy to identify as problem causers which can help you get a jump start on removing them from around your home and garden. VIRIDIS Lawn Care’s professionals are eager to help so you can reap the rewards of your efforts on your landscaping.

Call VIRIDIS the Utah County Lawn Care Professionals Today!