Grasshoppers eating my Vanda
 

Help! I noticed some half moon cut outs on the leaves of one of my Vanda's and also noticed a big grasshopper close by. There was what I believe to be grasshopper poop at the top where he had been munching on my poor vanda. Still looks very healthy with very active root growth, so I am sure he will survive and he is pretty large. Is there anyway to keep grasshoppers from destroying my orchids? :((

If anyone has any suggestions, please pass them my way.

Thanks!!!

Sorry to hear that. I've always liked grasshoppers , then I found out they love to eat orchids and other plants. I especially love vandas above all other orchids so what to do? I hear the grasshoppers at night in my yard and think hmmmm God bless my yard please. Good luck keep us posted.

Catch them , pull their legs and wings off and fry them in butter until golden brown . sprinkle with salt and pepper they are delicious!!!:rofl:
Seriously, use sticky pads works for me.

:( I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but.... once you have grasshoppers in your yard, they are very hard to get rid of. You have a few choices to try, but the best thing may be to inspect your plants at least once a day (morning or evening is best) and to get rid of any pests you find. You can use a bucket with soapy water and drop them in the bucket, or if you like to really see they "extinguished" you can squish them or something.

You could try to introduce bugs that will eat them like the Praying Mantis, but if your grasshopper population is outta control this might not help much. You could also try planting things that naturally repel bugs such as Garlic, onions or Marigolds. If you choose Marigolds, even after they are spent, or they start looking crappy, you can dig them up and turn them upside down and replant for more bug repelling. This will also help them reseed and possibly come back the next season.

Another thing you can do it try to plant a very nice lush greenscape around your permiter of your yard to attract the grasshoppers there and away from your 'chids. However, that is probably too late to do now.

There are some products available that are a form of a Protozoan Disease. These are usually used for treating the nymphs and are only considered to be somewhat effective. These products go by names like Grasshopper Spore, Semaspore and Nolo Bait.

Last thing you could try and probably most effective is putting up some kind of screening. You can use panty hose or something like that and use some stakes around the plant in question to keep the grasshoppers from getting it. However, they can chew through most fabrics, so metal screening is preferred.

I know that isn't much help, but that is all I have....good luck! :goodluck:

Let us know if you can come up with something else~!

:faint:

At one time I put some of my plants outside had the same problem ,then got chickens and guinea's I let them in the back yard no grasshoppers now they run them down .
I know you might not be where you can have poultry here is another idea . , hoppers hate water might hose down the area where the plants are, or spread diatamacous earth on the ground , it is what they use in pool filters , not poision .
I tried sprays and the bio.control before letting the biddies in the back yard , thinking about letting them in the front yard as the hoppers are thick there . I am in the country and yard is chain link . #PS they make good bait lolol .... Gin

Has anyone ever tried neem oil for grasshoppers?

Outside would run the risk of cooking the plants if they are in the sun . Gin

I don't think neem oil would do it...but that is just my two cents.

Gin hit the nail on the head though with the chickens. That is one thing I found when doing a search...but alas the only chicken I have is in the freezer!

Where I live the, grasshoppers have plently of lush green grass and some vine that grows like crazy to munch on. I think the orchids must be new to them and they think they are tasty. I don't know, but I just misted my vanda's and noticed more grasshopper damage. I will try some of the products mentioned above and hope I have some luck with them!

Thanks for all of your suggestions and keep em coming if anyone has any thing else to add!!

There is also some nematoad that likes to eat them but i forget it's name, and I doubt it would help anyway. Let us know what works for you. I too am way too crazy about my vandas to let a grasshopper at em!

The grasshoppers ate some of my plants, too. They seemed prefer cattleyas, especially C. walkeriana and its hybrids.
:bua:

WOW!!! Sorry to see those pics! That's soooo sad to see your babies chewed up :(

I understand the reccuring dismay of noticing the same plant targetted by a pest over and over again, as if it were labeled 'filet mignon' for pests. :(( Your grasshopper is my slug.

I've always liked the idea of praying mantis though in the yard to be perverbial garden 'bouncers'.

Wow, that is some bad damage they caused. I guess considering the size of them compared to most of the pests I have dealt with (mealybugs, thrips, spider mites, etc.) they can cause a great deal of damage is a very short period of time.

Weebl, I too like the idea of the praying mantis. I wonder how many you would really need in a small sized garden area to successfully control the other pests. I think when I move I will try it in a new place. Too bad I don't have plans to move yet! Anyway, if anyone knows how to determine how many praying mantis you would need, please let me know. Thanks.

The problem is with praying mantis is that they are so territorial and will snack on each other given the chance. i keep a few in my GH . They are easy to catch just lightly spray the vegitation in your garden with water and they will climb to the top of the plants

They seem better suited for preventative measures, unless there's someonething I dont quite understand.

i have praying mantis in my backyard... would love to "move" some of them into my orchid shed. but those are the regular green mantis..

would love to have this one ... Insect Orchid Mantis Specimen Photo and Information - Project Insect :P

Wow!! That is a beautiful praying mantis!! I would love to have one of those too!