Stupid Lubber Grasshoppers
7 years ago
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Comments (8)
7 years ago
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Lubber Grasshoppers in Jacksonville Area?
Comments (1)I have seen a few on my plumbago this week. I just squashed them....See MoreLubber Wars
Comments (16)Rita, It's the method of the chicken management that matters most. I first built a large secure hen house 8'X8' with an 8'Wide X 10'Long X 4'High wire pen, not just sides but top and bottom wired too. I used 1/2 inch galvanized hardware cloth for the bottom of the pen and it's buried in the dirt around 4 inches as I used treated 4X4's for the bottom of the pen. This stops critters from tunneling under to gain access. I used 1 inch chicken wire for sides and top of pen. The hen house has an up & down sliding door that I can close at night by letting it slide down shut. This sliding door is between the hen house and wire pen. The pen has a 2'Wide X 4'High wire door that opens to the yard. I hatch my chicks from eggs so the chickens now are very used to the hen house and pen area and know where safety is. In the mornings they wait for me to open up and let them out and in the evenings at dusk they all wander back in for the safety of their pen & hen house for the nightly lock up. Once you get them used to this routine they follow it daily. Any new hatch-lings will follow the rest once they are big enough to be put in altogether. I have a key lock on the pen door because the coons can't open it. I have hawks, coons, foxes, & neighbors pitbulls around here too. I chain linked about 3 or 4 acres around the house and barn and the chickens stay within this area. I haven't seen any bobcats around here and that may be a problem where you live. The large open cow pastures around me probably discourages bob cats from coming here. The neighbor lady across from me has geese and another neighbor has guinea hens & cocks. You may want to make a caged area setup like I have and only let them free range when you are out in the yard with them. They will follow you all around expecting treats. Lou Henhouse & Pen Slide Door & Nest Box Pen Door...See MoreIt won't be long before lubbers again
Comments (9)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...See MoreWhat's eating my Lily of the Nile (agapanthus)?
Comments (32)Carol, Since your front garden bed is in a somewhat straight row, you may find this technique to work for you as I have. I laid railroad ties In a straight line as a border at the back of my garden. I then laid a parallel line of railroad ties at the front edge of my garden. I then Stapled flexible netting available at your hardware store to the back ties, about 36 inches in width. To determine what length to cut each 3 foot strip of netting, I gently pulled it across that section of garden to the outer railroad tie and cut it there. You must allow enough room for it to gently sit over your plantings at their full growth height and a few more inches to overlap to place under the outer railroad tie. Do this along your stretch of garden. Each morning, you roll the netting back up to the tie in the back of the garden. In the evening you roll it over your plants and tuck under the outer railroad tie to secure it. Yes, you must repeat this each evening, but in my case, we had many deer who even came right up to our door. Yet for some reason, they would just put their nose up to the netting but never did anything else to try to get under it to the plants. I did this for many years in Kentucky with great success and did not have to replace the netting each year. I had tried everything from bone marrow to human hair cuttings to soap shavings to chemicals. The only thing that finally worked was the netting. Also good because water, air, and some sun can get through especially if you go away for the weekend. Good luck! I then stapled flexible netting found at a hardware store...See More
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
7 years ago
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
7 years ago
7 years ago
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