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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Saturday - July 07, 2012

From: Goldthwaite, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests
Title: Control of grasshoppers from Goldthwaite TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

How long do grasshoppers live. They are eating our flowers, plants and trees.

ANSWER:

Since we are gardeners and not entomologists, we went to the Internet to try to find an answer to your question. This article from Colorado State University Extension on Grasshopper Control in Gardens and Small Acreage contains this paragraph:

"Adult grasshoppers may live for months, interspersing feeding with mating and egg laying. Species that winter in the egg stage die out in late summer and early fall. A few species, perhaps most conspicuously the speckledwinged grasshopper, spend winter as a nymph, remain active during warm periods, and may develop to the adult form by late winter."

So, the answer to how long they live is long enough to reproduce a lot more grasshoppers. We suggest you get in touch with the Texas Agrilife Extension Service for Mills County. They will know more about the situation in your area, and have access to people who know much more about this than we do. The contact information for that office is at the bottom of the Home Page.

 

 

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