Grasshopper outbreaks are connected to drought conditions, he said. From July through the fall, grasshoppers deposit their eggs from a half-inch to 2 inches below the soil surface.

On an average year, fungus and other diseases take a toll on egg survival, thereby reducing the first generation grasshoppers that hatch in the spring.

Most of the fungi and diseases affecting egg survival, however, depend upon moist conditions, so during a drought year, outbreaks are expected.

Outbreaks this year so far have been spotty, Knutson said.

“Though some areas have had good rains, which reduce grasshopper populations, others have not, and they’ll still have problems,” he said. “They are intense in some areas, while others don’t have any.”  FG

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—From Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service