Re: [gardeners] Re:'hopper deterrents

Allen and Judy Merten (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 06 Feb 1999 22:12:15 -0600 

Hi Martha,
    Yes, we do have birdfeeders. We feed birds year round. We are a Texas Parks and
Wildlife Dept. registered Wildscape. The only things on our place that are not
native plants are in our vegetable gardens.
    The birds were doing their best last spring and summer feeding grasshoppers to
their young and eating the 'hoppers themselves. They could not keep up with the
plague of 'hoppers we had last year because of the drought.
    I don't use pesticides. I am afraid the birds would feed on the poisoned
insects and because many of Judy's coworkers like to buy produce from us that is
pesticide free. Also some of the little people in our family like to pick Grandpa's
garden and eat stuff standing in the rows.
    The year before last we didn't have a problem with drought or grasshoppers
,above normal that is.
    Thanks for the tip.
Allen
Bastrop Co.,Tx
Zone 8

Martha Brown wrote:

> Allen;
>         Do you have bird feeders?  I had a serious hopper problem.  I have even
> had them eat onions right out of the ground leaving only the papery shell
> and roots.  I began feeding the birds and making sure there was always
> water for them by placing a stock tank heater in the pond.  The first year
> I noticed a decline in hoppers with less every year since.  We live in the
> middle of grass pastures so we will never totally eliminate them from
> coming in from the pastures but the birds definitely have earned their
> keep.
>         I spend less each year on bird feed than I was spending on pesticides.
>
> Martha
> M Brown
> NW Oklahoma, USA
> USDA Zone 6b,  Sunset Zone 35
>
>
> ----------
> : From: Allen and Judy Merten <jbmerten@swbell.net>
> : To: gardeners@globalgarden.com
> : Subject: Re: [gardeners] Re:'hopper deterents
> : Date: Friday, February 05, 1999 12:22 AM
> :
> : Hi,
> :     Thanks for the tip. I will do just about anything I can to cut down
> on the
> : 'hoppers.
> :     Allen
> :     Bastrop Co.,Tx
> :     Zone 8
> :
> : bsk wrote:
> :
> : > Allen if you have the ability to do it, try to water well around your
> yard and
> : > garden areas, even the grass. I was doing some look - ups about
> grasshoppers
> : > last year for our Oklahoma herd of green hoppers. The research said
> that if the
> : > moisture level is high enough in the soil that it will make the hopper
> eggs go
> : > bad before they even hatch!  That is why when it is dry you get so many
> of the
> : > monsters! So it looks like even though you have a mild winter if you
> can keep
> : > some steady moisture in the ground it does help deter the green
> meanies. Now if
> : > we just new how much moisture that is would help out!.
> : >
> : > >The earthy smell of the plowed garden has gotten me all excited.
> : >
> : >     Oh my! Do you think we can bottle this and use it for Valentines
> Day
> : > excitement for my husband?
> : >
> : > bsk (central Oklahoma)
> : > zone 7a
> : > ---------------------------------------------------------
> : >
> : > >     I did find something today that I think will confirm my
> suspicions about
> : > > the lack of cold weather equaling a bad insect season. I found a
> newly
> : > > hatched grasshopper. Last year during the drought we had a plague of
> : > > grasshoppers. I figured that unless we had some hard freezes this
> winter the
> : > > large population of grasshoppers from last year would also mean a
> larger
> : > > number of grasshopper eggs. No freeze equals no winter kill. Bad
> news. I
> : > > don't recall seeing baby grasshoppers in Feb. in a long time.
> : > >     I have read that ducks are good grasshopper predators. I think
> I'll try
> : > > some ducks for insect control.
> : > >     Allen
> : > >     Bastrop Co.,Tx
> :
> :
> :