American Bird Grasshopper

I capture and destroy them in a jar whenever I see them. Problem is, they eat amaryllis and other similar plant fronds so fast doing so much damage but I can't be looking for them all day long! Some years we have tons of baby sized ones, other years we don't see them until they are huge, like 3" long!

Is there an antidote like a saucer of honey or beer or something that would attract AND kill them?

Thank you

I first noticed this grasshopper in 2008 because there were so many of them. Last summer (2009) there were even more of them and this summer there are literally thousands of them! I can't walk anywhere around my property without getting hit by them. As you walk through the grass or when you're mowing, they're hitting you all over your body and they especially hurt when they hit you in the face. I'm becoming increasingly concerned because they seem to be reproducing at an alarming rate and don't appear to have any natural predators that I can see. We have many crows, cattle egrets and other birds but as far as I can tell, they're not touching them. I know that they have a pretty nasty taste to them because my dog won't even go after them anymore. I'm really afraid to see what next su... read moremmer is going to be like because they're so bad right now, that you can't even walk outside without being bombarded by them. I wonder if there is anyone else out there who is as concerned as I am that they are going to be an even bigger problem in the future.

If you want to control the American Bird Grasshopper (or any other grasshopper) using natural methods all you need to do is feed the birds. Many species of bird pursue grasshoppers. Cattle Egrets are probably the most voracious grasshopper predator, however mocking birds, robins, and crows also love grasshoppers.