Frequently Asked Questions - Pest Management Insect Control

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Insect Control

Will the cool / cold weather help kill the grasshopper eggs?
It will have negligible effect on any eggs below the soil surface. Keep in mind the eggs have survived in the soil through -30 degrees Celsius this past winter. The soil acts as a temperature buffer and therefore ambient temperature extremes have little effect on the below ground temperature. If the eggs are above ground they are more prone to the environment and can be affected by desiccation as well as parasitism and predation from other insects, birds, etc.

The main effect of the cool temperatures will be to slow embryo development within the eggs. Continued cool weather will mean a gradual and extended hatch period as experienced last year. (2003) Conversely, warmer temperatures will accelerate the hatch.

Will cold weather help reduce populations of newly hatched grasshoppers?
It is unlikely to have much effect as even younger grasshopper nymphs can survive for a few days at temperatures below zero Celsius. At this time of year even if we have a few degrees of frost it does not last for more than a few hours, generally just overnight.

How does wet weather affect grasshoppers?
Once the grasshoppers have hatched and are above ground, damp weather will usually result in an increase in disease incidence that could result in death. Heavy rains can have a devastating effect on young grasshoppers, wiping out populations. This occurred in early June 2002 in southern Saskatchewan largely wiping out the above ground population. However due to cool conditions in April and May there was very little hatch at that point and the result was just a setback for a couple of weeks until the rest of the population hatched and started to feed.

Cool weather will also slow development and growth of the hoppers.