Here’s Why Grasshoppers Are so Bad In the PNW This Year

Most of the Grasshoppers around my yard have been brown. You can barely see them on the dirt. But the one pictured above had me questioning if they are also chameleon-like. Can grasshoppers change color? This one looks like it is trying to avoid predators by blending in with the fallen flowers from our Rose of Sharon (hibiscus) tree. And why are there so many grasshoppers this year? Well, I did some investigating and found that they love hot weather and this stupid drought! I haven't seen any swarms of biblical proportions or anything like that, but just walking through my yard sends them jumping and flying everywhere. Much more than in past years. Have you noticed that their wings are brightly colored when they fly? According to Wikipedia,  that wing flash is an attempt to startle predators as they fly away to safety. So are these little buggers the ones chomping on the leaves of my plants and flowers? I thought those might be earwigs. It turns out that it is probably both. And farmers are naturally worried about their crops. Grasshoppers were born to eat, apparently. They do sleep but only very little at night. They eat during the day and during the night when they're not snoozing.

So how do we get rid of grasshoppers? Get some chickens! Or you can make a garlic and water spray for your plants. Grasshoppers apparently don't like garlic. There are several insecticides available at the hardware store, also. Many of those are made with natural oils that repel grasshoppers and other pests.