Texas raising a good crop of grasshoppers

By ROBERT BURNS

Texas AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION -- While drought is bad for practically everything else that grows, it does often promote a good crop of grasshoppers, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service experts.

"Grasshopper populations are normally maintained at lower levels by natural controls, including diseases," said Chris Sansone, AgriLife Extension entomologist in San Angelo. "The main disease is a fungus, and most fungi do better during cool wet conditions. Since we didn't have cool, wet conditions in the spring, the fungus isn't thriving, and since the fungus isn't thriving, we're having higher populations of grasshoppers."

There also are some effects with bare ground warming up faster in the spring that favors grasshopper outbreaks, he said.

Despite the drought, grasshopper reports from AgriLife Extension agents were sketchy across the state, but seemed to be more common in East Texas and South Texas around San Antonio.

The hit-and-miss outbreaks are most likely due to other factors involved, Sansone said.

"This year has been interesting because the drought has been so severe," he said. "If people haven't had any showers at all -- even those late afternoon showers of a tenth or two-tenths of an inch -- we're not seeing any grasshopper outbreaks."

Sansone said this is probably because there's not enough food in pastures and rangeland to sustain even a grasshopper population.

"These areas that have been catching afternoon showers are seeing the worse outbreaks."

More information on grasshoppers can be found at in the AgriLife Extension publication "Grasshoppers and Their Control," available at insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/e-209.cfm.

More information on the current Texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:

Southeast -- In Montgomery County, there was neither grass nor water for livestock. Trees were dying throughout the county. In Walker County, water for livestock was also an issue. Throughout the district, pasture conditions continued to deteriorate. Cattle numbers declined as producers culled herds. Producers were still feeding remaining livestock, but hay supplies were low.

Central -- Hot, dry, windy conditions were ongoing. Pastures were rapidly deteriorating. Hay supplies were short. First-cutting hay yields were down by as much as half. Farmers were irrigating at full capacity. Cattle prices were down again this week as livestock producers continued to reduce herds. Livestock feed prices remained high. Stock-water tanks were critically low in many areas.

East -- Without any rain, and very hot, windy days and nights, the drought worsened. Producers were culling cattle as water, forage and hay supplies were depleted. Some producers were weaning calves early and taking them straight to the market. Many counties reported that grasshopper infestations were becoming a problem; there were reports of armyworm infestations too. Creeks and ponds were going dry, forcing some producers to sell out completely. Vegetable production decreased due to dry conditions, but those harvesting blackberries and blueberries reported good yields. Firefighters from at least nine different agencies continued Sunday to battle one of the largest fires of East Texas history in Trinity and Polk counties. More than 18,000 acres had burned as of June 20. Several communities were under mandatory evacuation orders.
Southwest -- The region remained completely dry. Record-high temperatures of 101 to 104 degrees and above, along with high winds, aggravated the drought. Most of the region remained in extremely high wildfire-alert status. Most dryland crops failed. Irrigated corn and sorghum were drying down. Sunflowers growers were harvesting. Peanuts, cotton, pecans, grapes and landscape nursery crops continued to make good progress under heavy irrigation -- but at high pumping costs. The peach harvest began. The cabbage, onion, potato, watermelon, cantaloupe, green bean and sweet corn harvests were ongoing. Onion yield and quality has been excellent but onion prices remained weak.