How to Get Rid of Grasshoppers? | Garden Defense That Works

Getting rid of grasshoppers requires targeting them early as nymphs with a mix of organic barriers, natural sprays, and selective insecticides, timed when they are most vulnerable.

A few grasshoppers in the garden are usually harmless, but a full hatch can strip a vegetable patch overnight. The key to controlling them is catching the problem in the nymph stage — young grasshoppers are slow, concentrated, and far easier to kill than the flying adults that arrive later. The methods below range from simple homemade sprays to targeted chemical treatments, so you can match the approach to the size of your infestation.

Why Timing and Lifecycle Matter

Grasshoppers lay egg pods in the soil during late summer and fall, and those eggs hatch the following spring. The nymphs that emerge look like smaller, wingless versions of the adults. This is your window for effective control. Once they grow wings and start moving between properties, chemical and organic options both lose effectiveness. Treat in late spring to early summer, and apply any spray or bait in the early morning or late evening when grasshoppers are active but bees and other pollinators are not.

Organic and Natural Control Methods

For most home gardens, organic methods are enough to protect plants without introducing harsh chemicals. Use them early and reapply after rain.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) works by scratching the grasshopper’s exoskeleton, causing it to dehydrate. Sprinkle food-grade DE around plant bases and on leaves, but avoid flowers where pollinators land — DE kills any crawling insect on contact. Reapply after any rain or heavy dew. Neem oil is another solid option: mix 3 teaspoons of pure neem oil with 2 quarts of warm water and ½ teaspoon of castile soap, then spray plants and the soil around them. It deters feeding and can stunt nymph growth.

Homemade repellent sprays are cheap and worth trying. A garlic spray — 2 blended bulbs boiled in 10 cups of water, steeped for 8 hours, then diluted with 3 parts water — will make leaves unappealing. A hot pepper spray (chili powder mixed with water and a drop of dish soap) irritates grasshoppers and keeps them moving. Spray the entire leaf, including the underside, and reapply after rain since these washes rinse off quickly.

If you prefer a bait approach, NOLO bait (containing Nosema locustae) is a biological control that specifically targets grasshoppers. Spread the granules around affected areas; grasshoppers die within a few days, and the pathogen can linger in the soil to infect the next generation. It is non-toxic to humans and pets.

Physical Barriers and Trap Crops

For small garden beds, physical exclusion is the most reliable organic method. Use metal window screening or tightly woven floating row covers over vulnerable crops — cloth row covers may be chewed through. For larger areas, plant a trap crop of tall, green grass or early-sown wheat around your garden’s border. Grasshoppers prefer these young greens and will gather there, making them easy to vacuum up with a shop-vac or treat with bait.

Our tested recommendations for grasshopper insecticides cover the products that work best when organic methods aren’t keeping up. You can also encourage natural predators: chickens, guinea hens, and turkeys will eat grasshoppers all day, and leaving spiders and birds alone in the garden helps keep the population in check. Planting garlic, cilantro, basil, and marigolds near vegetables may help deter them, though this works best as part of a broader strategy rather than a standalone fix.

When and How to Use Chemical Insecticides

Severe infestations — where organic methods have failed or grasshoppers are arriving in waves from adjacent fields — call for targeted chemical control. Products containing carbaryl or pyrethrins are the most effective. Apply them using a garden sprayer for complete coverage of both upper and lower leaf surfaces, and water in any granular products immediately after broadcasting. The ideal temperature for spraying is between 68°F and 77°F (20°C–25°C); avoid spraying in high heat, as it reduces effectiveness and increases risk to bees.

For gardens and small acreages, you do not need to treat every square foot. Band application covering 50% of the area (or less) provides comparable control to full coverage. If you are managing rangeland, alternate treated and untreated swaths — the grasshoppers will move between them, and the untreated strips preserve beneficial insect populations.

FAQs