Does anyone have any smallholder-appropriate solutions to control zonocerus elegans?
We don’t have these pest here in Haiti but we do have plague like volumes of huge katydids and at least two cricket types. I’m curious to follow the responses here to gain some ideas. What we’ve been doing so far is free rangeing chickens and muscovy ducks plus hand picking them at night to feed to the chickens.
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Hi Nathan!
What size is your growing area that’s affected? For the most part, I’ve only heard of small, mechanical control for lubbers (what we call them locally). I typically cut them in half with my pruners or hand-pick them and put them into a bucket of soapy water. But these aren’t good tactics for larger scale. There are plenty of trap crops that pull lubbers to them like tall grasses or foxtail millet that you could plant on the border of your main crop. In the past, I have sifted wheat flour into the whorl of young corn plants to combat young grasshopper feeding (not lubbers, just normal grasshoppers). It doesn’t kill them, but makes it difficult for them to eat by gumming up their mouthparts and so deters them from feeding on your plants. I don’t think it would be effective on mature lubbers because their mandibles are so large, but it might help with nymphs. It would need to be re-applied after rains.
Garlic Spray Natural
Make garlic spray blend two bulbs garlic with 10 cups water heat to boil let set over-nite
To use mix 1 part garlic with 3 parts water spray top and under leaves. Need to respray if rainLet know results
Not familiar with that bug but leaf footed bugs are said to be resistant to many insecticides and difficult to control yet are easily controlled with vinegar. Vinegar is our go to insecticide. For extremely difficult bugs, we infuse with leaves of Neem and sometimes gliricidia. Just let it soak for a few hours or overnight.
To determine what works, we capture a few and put them in a container and spray them to know what works. Pretty simple.
Comprehensive Strategies for Controlling Elegant Grasshoppers (Zonocerus elegans) in Smallholder Farms
Elegant grasshoppers are a significant threat to crops, causing damage that affects yields and farmer livelihoods. Below are advanced and sustainable methods tailored to smallholder farming to effectively control this pest:
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Approach
Prevention: Regularly clear weeds that provide breeding grounds for grasshoppers and adopt crop rotation practices to break their life cycle.
Monitoring: Conduct frequent inspections of crops to detect early infestations before they escalate.
Action Thresholds: Implement control measures only when pest numbers exceed levels manageable by natural methods. -
Biological and Natural Control
Use of Poultry: Free-ranging chickens, guinea fowls, or Muscovy ducks can naturally reduce grasshopper populations by feeding on them.
Biopesticides: Introduce fungi such as Metarhizium anisopliae or Beauveria bassiana, which specifically target and kill grasshoppers.
Encourage Natural Predators: Promote biodiversity by planting nectar-rich plants that attract predatory insects like praying mantises. -
Mechanical and Physical Controls**
Manual Collection: In smaller areas, manually pick grasshoppers during early mornings or evenings when they are less active.
Protective Barriers: Use fine mesh or netting to shield crops, especially those of high economic value.
Trap Crops: Plant grasses or millet around crop fields to draw grasshoppers away from main crops. Dispose of trap crops once pests are concentrated there. -
Homemade, Natural Deterrents
Garlic Spray:
Preparation: Blend two garlic bulbs with ten cups of water, heat until boiling, and let it steep overnight.
Application: Dilute the mixture (1 part garlic solution to 3 parts water) and spray on plant leaves, focusing on the undersides.
Vinegar-Based Insecticide:
Preparation: Soak neem leaves or gliricidia leaves in vinegar overnight for enhanced pest control effectiveness.
Application: Capture grasshoppers in a test container and spray the solution to confirm efficacy before wider use. -
Sustainability and Innovation
Cultivate Pest-Resistant Varieties: Invest in crop strains that are naturally resistant to grasshoppers.
Agroforestry Practices: Incorporate trees like neem into farming systems; their leaves can be used to make insecticidal sprays.
Local Biopesticides: Innovate using locally available resources to create low-cost, effective pest control solutions. -
Community Involvement
-Farmer Training: Share knowledge of IPM and natural pest control techniques.
Resource Sharing: Provide affordable access to biopesticides, spray equipment, and other critical resources to reduce costs for farmers.
Additional Resources Available
I also have access to an agroecology manual for future agriculture by Dr. Mel Lander, which provides in-depth guidance on sustainable farming techniques. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to share this resource with you.
By applying these strategies and utilizing additional resources, smallholder farmers can minimize crop losses while maintaining environmentally sustainable practices. Together, we can empower farmers and enhance food security.
Contact TAC Njeru Charitable Organization UG LTD
-Email: mubbaka@gmail.com | impact@tacnjeru.org | abdu.mubbaka@tacnjeru.org
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