Things You'll Need:
- Cilantro
- Garlic
- Mineral oil
- Strainer
- Nosema locustae
- Chickens
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Step 1
Plant cilantro on the borders of your garden to keep grasshoppers out. Grasshoppers can't stand the smell of cilantro, and professional gardeners plant cilantro around their gardens specifically to keep grasshoppers from eating their crops. You can purchase cilantro plants at your local nursery or garden supply store.
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Step 2
Spray garlic oil on any plants you don't want grasshoppers to devour. In a bowl, add three ounces of finely chopped garlic with one ounce of mineral oil. Let the solution soak overnight, then strain it with cheesecloth or a strainer. In a clean spray bottle, add one pint of water and 2 tbsp. of the garlic oil solution. Shake thoroughly, then spray on your plants. Spray the solution on the plants again every time it rains.
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Step 3
Place molasses glass traps throughout your garden. Dig several holes in your garden just large enough to place an entire glass jar inside, so the lip of the jar is at ground level. Add one part molasses and 10 parts water to the jar, then mix thoroughly. The grasshoppers will be attracted to the jars because of the molasses smell but will fall in and drown. Clean and replace the traps every few weeks as necessary.
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Step 4
Purchase Nosema locustae combined with meal to infect and eventually kill the grasshoppers. Nosema locustae is a parasite that kills grasshoppers--grasshoppers are cannibals, so when an infected grasshopper is eaten, the grasshoppers who ate it will also be infected. Apply one to two pounds of Nosema locustae per acre. You can purchase Nosema locustae at your local nursery or garden supply store.
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Step 5
Keep chickens in your yard. Chickens are natural predators of grasshoppers and will keep your entire yard and garden grasshopper-free as long as they are living there.
