Ever thought, “What do grasshoppers eat?” You may think they are responsible for tons of crop loss but there is much more to discover about these misunderstood little bugs and they have some pretty neat characteristics too!
For example, their eardrum is located on the abdomen of their bodies, and they do use their ears for a lot of reasons but they really can’t hear all that well!
When I think of grasshopper, what comes to mind, first, is the strange bugs that jump in my face when I walk through meadows! But read on for some more fun grasshopper facts, what they eat, their habitat and life cycle, as well as their lookalikes.
Overview Of Grasshoppers
Grasshopper Characteristics
A grasshopper belongs to the group Orthoptera which contains grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and katydids. Grasshoppers share some similarities as well as many unique characteristics that we can look at!
The four main characteristics that we can fairly safely use to identify grasshoppers are:
Cylindrical shaped body form, long antennae, and powerful hind legs are other important identification features. Although they can be confused with crickets or locusts, they have unique behavioral and physical characteristics!
These characteristics include:
Chewing mouthparts
Each species has a different style of mandibles, which helps us determine what each species eats. More on this later.
Wings
Grasshoppers have foldable wings that line the length of their body. These wings also allow them flight! They are able to fly short distances by converting the jump of their powerful hind legs into a flying animal!
Powerful Large Legs
Grasshoppers have large legs made for hopping. In addition to just hopping, their pretty large legs allow them to make sounds by rubbing their forelegs with their hind legs, or stridulating.
Eardrums
The eardrums are located on their abdomen – eardrums allow for several functions:
- Territory: They use their sounds to mark territory, because they are a relatively territorial insect. They know based on sound how large another grasshopper is prior to physical confrontation.
- Mating: They will call through sounds and locate mates. The males will call to the females.
- Alert Calls: Certain chirps indicate that a predator is nearby.
Grasshopper Diet
Most grasshoppers are herbivores, eating only plant matter, but some are omnivores, eating animal matter. They can eat up to 16x their weight in one day!
What do grasshoppers eat?
Grasshopper’s eating habits can mostly be found in their mandibles. There are 11,000 species of grasshoppers and some species have different mouthparts to eat different plant material. Some grasshoppers have molars on their mandibles.
This indicates that they have a herbivore diet that may include plants such as grass. There are even grasshoppers that have razor-sharp ridges suggesting a different type of diet. Some grasshopper species even eat meat!
Here is a short list of the main diet of grasshoppers:
- Leaves
- Seeds
- Flowers
- Crops such as:
- Barley
- Wheat
- Rye
- Alfalfa
- Corn
- Grass
When eating plant material, grasshoppers love to chew on tender foliage.
Grasshoppers drink water. They obtain their drinking water from dew, rain, and the water content in the food they eat.
Grasshopper Effects on Gardens
Positive Effects to Garden Ecosystems
Grasshoppers play an important role in the food web. Grasshoppers are a prey species, which makes them food for a lot of animals in the ecosystem, and in gardens!
They contribute to decomposition and regrowth of plants. Their poop (droppings) contain a lot of nutrients! This is essentially free fertilizer for the garden! Grasshoppers are also food for many other beneficial birds.
Potential Damage to Plants and Crops
Grasshoppers are considered major agricultural pests because they will devour a variety of plant matter, but not all grasshopper species are damaging to your crops!
For instance, the red-legged grasshopper species is a damaging species of grasshopper in North America, and will cause garden issues if the populations are large. In the USA, grasshoppers are responsible for about $1.5 billion in damage to crops on an annual basis, so you can see why they are not a favorite of many farmers!!
How will you manage these pests?
Natural predatory species that benefit from having grasshoppers in the garden include:
- Birds
- Insects
- Mammals
- Reptiles
- Amphibians
These predators will have roles in the ecosystems in your garden, which may include seed dispersers and pollinators for flowers and important plant species.
How to Effectively Manage and Control
Organic methods of effective management and control of grasshoppers.
- Homemade garlic spray
- Sprinkle floor around your plants
- Biological control- you may want to get ducks or chickens!!
- Attract birds to your garden! Use flowers such as sunflowers or cosmos
- Plant a trap crop. Use tall grasses to deter grasshoppers from eating your vegetables.
- Use agricultural row cover for your vegetables.
Grasshopper Habitat & Distribution
Where do grasshoppers live?
Grasshopper populations can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Although they can be found in numerous areas, their habitats include:
- Semi-arid environments
- Lowlands
- Tropical forests
- Grasslands
- Farmlands
- Gardens
Seasonal Behavior and Life Cycle
Grasshoppers undergo an incomplete metamorphosis. Grasshoppers have three different body forms in their life cycle: Egg, Nymph, Adult. Grasshoppers have a life cycle of 12 months.
Egg
Females lay their eggs under soil or leaf litter. She will coat the egg in a sticky substance which creates egg “pods” of 10-300 eggs. The eggs will develop under the substrate for 10 months. After this time, eggs hatch into nymphs during spring or summer
Nymph
Nymphs are smaller versions of the adults, however, they do not have wings or reproductive organs. This stage of their life cycle is when they eat the most food, and are considered “pests”. During this stage (the nymph), they also consume a large amount of plant material.
For 6 weeks during the nymph stage they will undergo 5 to 6 molting stages to become adults. Molting is the action of shedding their skin and forming new growth.
Adult
Reproductive organs develop after15 days, and at this time they are sexually mature and ready to begin the cycle again. With less than 30 days of being an adult they develop wings.
Difference Between Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Locusts
On first glance they look similar, but with some closer inspection there are some major differences you can identify between crickets, locust, and grasshoppers!
Crickets, Locusts, and Grasshoppers are both part of the family Orthoptera. Grasshoppers and locusts belong to the suborder Caelifera, while crickets are in the other suborder called Ensifera.
Here are some key identifying features that differentiate grasshoppers from their other insect adversaries.
Crickets:
- Crickets are considered crepuscular. This means they are active at dawn and dusk
- Crickets are omnivores. This means they consume plant material and animal matter
- Crickets have antennas that are long
- Crickets make sound by rubbing their wings together (not their legs)
- Crickets have ears located on their forelegs
- Crickets cannot fly
Grasshoppers:
- Grasshoppers are diurnal. This means they are active during the day
- Grasshopper’s antennas are short
- They are herbivores. This means they consume plant material (some species will eat meat)
- To make noise, Grasshoppers use a method called stridulation (with the help of their legs)
- Grasshoppers have ears located on their abdomen
Locust:
- Locusts are similar in appearance to Grasshoppers, since they are in the same suborder
- Locusts have longer and stronger wings, allowing them to fly better than grasshoppers
- Locusts have smaller bodies than grasshoppers
- Locusts will notify other locusts to swarm when conditions are favorable and this is not something that Grasshoppers do
Do Grasshoppers Bite?
Health Hazard and Reactions
While they are generally mild mannered, they will bite primarily in defense or stress. They are not as dangerous as other biting insects like locusts or crickets.
Their bites can result in minor irritations or a reaction with little potential for severity. Just avoid contact with them, but if you do handle them, be gentle, don’t squeeze them, or if in doubt don’t handle them.
If you have been bitten by a grasshopper it is best to disinfect the area. If you experience any abnormal symptoms following a bite, it is wise to see a doctor for advice.
Understanding Grasshopper Bites and Defense Mechanisms
If a grasshopper encounters stress, they will bite in defense. Grasshoppers have mandible pinches that are not sharp, and they will take a nip.
One of the additional defense mechanisms a grasshopper has is to vomit all of their stomach contents up into the air. This introduces a smell that some potential predators do not like.
How To Handle Grasshoppers Safely?
Best to avoid handling them at all, so try and enjoy them from a distance. If you do not need to pick them up, let them enjoy their short time on our planet.
If you have to handle a grasshopper, do so with respect. Be gentle and calm. Try and pick them up using your entire hand, versus picking them up by their legs, and try and cup their body.If you handle a grasshopper with force, it could cause stress and make them bite or use other defense mechanisms.