What Is the Main Habitat for Grasshoppers?

Grasshoppers will eat almost any kind of plant in their habitat.

The main habitat of the grasshopper is anywhere there is enough of its preferred food to live on. This is usually open grassland with low-growing vegetation like grasses, cereal grains or shrubs. If there is a scarcity of food in the grasshopper's main habitat, this hardy insect will move on to greener pastures.

Geography

Grasshoppers are found all over the world in any habitat that provides food. In some parts of the world, primarily Africa and Asia, grasshoppers are regularly included in the human diet.

Terrain

Grasshoppers prefer meadows, grasslands, pastures, crop fields, foothills, and when food is scarce, your lawn and garden.

Migration

When the grasshopper population grows too large for its main habitat to sustain it, large swarms of grasshoppers relocate to nearby vegetation, often traveling 15 miles or more a day.

Diet

Grasshoppers are herbivores, so they require a vegetation-rich habitat. They feed on a wide variety of plants, though some species specialize in grasses only. A grasshopper can eat its own weight in food in one day.

Predators

Birds, beetles, robber flies, spiders, lizards, toads, and snakes eat grasshoppers throughout their developmental stages. Chickens and guinea hens can keep grasshoppers out of your garden.

References

• University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Grasshoppers
• U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Services: Grasshoppers
• University of Arizona Center for Insect Science Education Outreach: Grasshopper Information