Pest leaves us hopping mad
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff reporter
Grasshoppers seem to be especially populous this year, plaguing some gardens and hay crops.
Marion County Extension Agent Ricky Roberts says he has received dozens of calls on how to control grasshoppers. He surmises that a mild winter may have encouraged over-population.
"The pressure is really bad," he said.
It appears that the problem is not generalized but is readily apparent at specific locations.
According to Robert J. Bauernfeind, extension specialist in entomology at Kansas State University, grasshoppers deposit their eggs among the roots of grasses and weeds growing in undisturbed areas. Preferred sites include field margins, fence rows, roadside areas, ditch banks, and weed patches.
The pests hatch in spring and remain in hatching areas as long as host plants provide an acceptable and adequate food source. Once these are consumed, they seek out new areas.
Clifford Hett of Marion said hoppers infested several acres of a new alfalfa stand. He said a tall stand of brome next to it was a favorite feeding ground for the pests. He had the alfalfa field commercially sprayed after harvesting the crop to prevent the pests from destroying the plant
