The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service recently reported that more grasshoppers are munching their way across the Hill Country and outlying neighborhoods in Bexar County.
Officials said weather conditions in most of the Hill Country this year provided the perfect blend of temperatures and water to increase the grasshopper population this summer.
Wizzie Brown, an AgriLife entomologist, said better watered neighborhoods that sit near drier pastureland are the most likely to see trees, shrubs, and other vegetation nibbled on by the pests.
"Grasshopper pressure is going to be constant, where they're moving in from those surrounding areas to get to the kind of lush vegetation that you're keeping alive in your yard," she said.
Experts don't approve of pesticides if they can be avoided because beneficial pollinators will also be killed off with the grasshoppers.
But if gardeners use pesticides to control larger infestations, Brown said it is best to strike when the grasshoppers are young and small because they have not sprouted wings yet.
"They can be easier to control, not only because they are smaller, but also because they can't fly away from whatever you're doing," she said.
Brown said grasshoppers lay their eggs in the ground and hatch in the spring and summer. She said gardeners can scan foliage for nymphs to be treated.
Brown made a field trip this summer to an area home where a pear tree had been completely defoliated, and it was still crawling with grasshoppers.
She said soap and neem oil can be used to ward off grasshoppers. Inviting birds to your yard with a bird house or keeping chickens are good ways to control the population. Some vegetation covers can also help.
Brown said grasshoppers are also known to be multigenerational in the same area, so if they are problem in one year, they are likely to come back if not controlled.
