I've heard that if you catch them when they first hatch out and dispense with them in whatever method, you're good but who has the luxury of being able to do that? When I first moved here we had them all over. The next year I scouted out the property and did a rain dance on the new hatchlings wherever I could find them. After a couple of years of doing that the population has been greatly reduced, only see one or 2 adults, but then I live on 5 acres, no way to completely eliminate them. When they are adults, they make a distinctive sound to attract a mate, if you can hone in on where they are you can get out the shotgun.

The nymphs move in gangs which initially makes them easy to spot, but even if you get every marauding group entering your yard, there will still be adults that show up from other yards. I give my kids buckets of soapy water and make it a contest to see who can get the most lubber nymphs and then they get a dime per lubber. Works well for me. And yeah, the first year I heard the chitchitchitchit noise in a tall Yaupon Holly, I looked forever to see what it was but never figured it out. The next year I heard it in a Forsythia salvia and found the culprit. I now use it to locate breeding adults and take the sheers to them.

When I lived out in the country, I had a 2 acre fenced field. I was walking across it one day and a lubber flew into the side of my head. Don't tell me they can't fly! It HURT! Those things are big! I do the bucket thing too, but I don't have kids, so I have to do it myself.

I have never heard of a Forsythia salvia, but looked it up and it's GORGEOUS! I do miss forsythia, so I may have to get one of those.

I had to pull mine out. The thing started suckering like crazy and would have swamped the entire corner it was in if I hadn't. If you get one, keep it in a planter... which I believe is how you do things anyways, but I had to put that warning out there.

Hi Debbie.Lubbers is common name for Romalea microptera.Basically large winged grasshopper.If you grow any crimum lily you will more than likely find out what they are.It is one of their favorite meals.

They are large, like 3-4 inches, yellow and orange grasshoppers (though I believe scientifically they are not considered grasshoppers. I could be wrong there.) They are not capable of true flight, but I have seen some flutter their small wings to assist with a leap or maybe they do it just to make noise and startle the predator. Because of their size, they tend to freak out many people. They can defoliate plants at any age, but the black and orange or black and yellow nymphs are particularly devastating. They do seem to favor Crinums and other bulbs, probably because of all the energy that bulbs put into their short duration of activity, but will happily munch on just about anything in the garden.

Even though they are native to the southeastern US, there doesn't seem to be much that actually prey upon them. Birds, snakes and lizards avoid the nymphs and I have never seen anything attack an adult, though some say a snake might try one from time to time. If you kill one, fire ants (not native) will quickly devour the body, but they don't mess with the live ones because the lubbers are too quick.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romalea_guttata

Oh my, thanks for that info. I do grow crinum lilies, but fortunately I haven't seen these particular critters. Although I have seen some really large, chartreuse colored grasshoppers hanging out in my lemongrass recently.

Thanks again. Good to know things I might need for future reference.

Debbie

Don't worry, if you ever cross paths with one, you'll know what it is because they are big enough to tack up and go for a ride! LOL!