Mint-Grasshopper

Includes

Clearwinged grasshopper (Camnula pellucida)

Pest description and crop damage Both young and adults feed on leaves. Leaf loss can be significant in years with warm, dry spring-time conditions.

Biology and Life History Grasshoppers damage mint grown on both sides of the Cascade Mountains. Grasshoppers have one generation per year. In late summer adult grasshoppers deposit pods into the soil from one to two inches deep. These pods contain several eggs each. Eggs hatch in the spring (around May). Small hoppers disperse to crops and feed through the spring and summer.

Management-chemical control

  • chlorantraniliprole/thiamethoxam (Voliam Flexi) at 0.1 to 0.125 lb ai/A. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 14 days. Do not exceed 15 oz/A Voliam Flexi or 0.188 lb ai/A of thiamethoxam or 0.2 lb ai/A of chlorantraniliprole per season. Apply in at least 10 gal water/A (ground) or 5 gal water/A (aerial). Do not use an adjuvant.
  • malathion (Gowan Malathion 8) at 0.94 lb ai/A. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Limit 3 applications per year. Malathion is registered for use on mint to control other pests. Field use indicates it controls grasshoppers effectively. Note: Summer cutworm sprays help control grasshoppers.
  • thiamethoxam (Actara) at 0.047 to 0.063 lb ai/A. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 14 days. Do not apply more than 0.188 lb ai/A per season. Do not use less than 10 GPA for ground applications or 5 GPA for aerial applications.