What to do about grasshoppers?

[Pitaya]

Every summer we face a horde of hoppers.

What are the best ways of managing these?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Feed them. That seems strange does it not? But if you understand them the rest will be easy.

 

[Chuck]

IMO there is nothing you actually can do. Hoppers come in waves from other places always on the move. When I was a kid we had a 13 acre truck garden and grasshoppers would invade. My dad said the only thing to do was get a flock of Guineas. We had about 100-150 and they ate grasshoppers all day long. No sooner than one bunch was gone here comes another. But they did help a great deal.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I was thinking trap crops but love a guinea hen. They make noise like a dog barks when strangers come around.

 

[marlingardener]

Guineas are your best bet. Get two--they are "flock" birds. You can let them roam the yard, and at night they'll perch in trees. Really easy keepers! The eggs are small, but tasty. The one drawback is that they are noisy, very, very noisy. But after a while you become accustomed and their constant chatter is just background noise, rather like when the in-laws come to visit.