Friend or foe?

Just found this grasshopper in the garden on a cucumber leaf. Should I kill him or leave him alone? He wasn't eating when I saw him.

They can do alot of damage to the foliage of plants and when I get them in the greenhouse, they can really do a number on small seedlngs...I hate them. I guess that makes them a foe to me!! You have to squish them in your fingers or they get away and I hate doing that. they grab at you with their claw feet while you are doing it-freaks me out. Sorry for the graphic description lol

TIGE,
Graphic, but FUNNY!!! LOL as I pic TIGE freaking out!! Should we let the kids figure out what that phrase means??? heheheheh

best;
blue

gawd blue....are we that old??? lol

TIGE,
Who is "WE" kemosabe!! lol. And Yes, I am, :P

i shut my eyes and cut them in half with trimmers...which i usually have close by anyway...way to big to squish...but can wipe out alot of green in a night.

i spot spray them with a pyrethrin, quickly, in the face. i'm not fast enough otherwise.

I used to have fun catching grasshoppers when I was a kid. Then I'd let them go. I've seen some tiny ones in my yard this summer. Tiny like smaller than a cricket.

If I ever see it or one of its family again I will dispose of it post haste! Not sure how but I will manage!

Thanks!

For me, it would depend on how many you have and whether or not you have yellow jackets or wasps around. They are a favorite snack of many hymenoptera (and birds), so I hate to take away my wasp's food. That's probably why I don't see very many grasshoppers in my yard - with all my wasps and yellow jackets cruising around, they probably don't stand a chance - heh heh heh.

i was really talking specifically about spraying the lubbers we have in florida, these really enormous guys that can strip a plant in one day. the small ones i don't even pay attention to unless the numbers start to increase. the cardinals love the small ones.

I've only seen the one and only once. He was nice enough to stay until I got my camera. I haven't seen him or his family since. I probably won't do anything about him if I do see him again, not really fond of killing except slugs!

FOE!!!
Take a sharp pair of sissors to them as quickly as possible.
;)

We just moved into a new community which is surrounded by farmlands and wetlands. I guess that is why I have had so many grasshoppers in my backyard this summer. The leaves on my Magnolia and Rose of Sharon have been munched on and I have found grasshoppers on those plants so I assume they are the culprits.

They have ranged from small green ones to large grey ones. I have been fairly successful in squashing and beating them with my hose wand. (May need a new hose wand soon). Sorry about being so graphic!

Is this an effective way to get rid of them? Is there a problem with eggs hatching?

I have a lot of wasps and bees in my yard, which is probably why I've seen almost no grasshoppers.

At least grasshoppers don't sting, though.

Ihaveapond....i...feed...the....bass...any..grasshoppers...i..see....
(my..space....bar....is...not...working!!!!!)

jenbrink,

Maybe you have grasshoppers in your keyboard. Better check!