Get Rid Of Grasshoppers The Eco-Friendly Way
TO GET RID OF GRASSHOPPERS THE ECO-FRIENDLY WAY, YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF AT LEAST THREE METHODS
A first method that can be used to get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly way is to keep ducks or chickens or even turkeys and allow them to run around your farm freely before you plant your garden in order to eliminate the grasshoppers in the environment. Then when your garden is planted and growing, you keep these fowls in a “moat”‘ built around your garden so that they can eat any grasshopper that wants to get across this moat to your garden.
To build a “moat”, you first surround your garden with one row of fencing such as chicken wire then put a second row of fencing parallel to but about 6 inches or more away from the first row depending on the land available. Then keep the fowl in this alleyway between the two rows of fence so that they can catch the grasshoppers coming through as they try to get to your garden.
A second alternative that can be quite successful when you wish to get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly way might be to keep guinea pigs; apparently guinea pigs just love grasshoppers. However, the one drawback is that guinea pigs are very noisy.
A third or better alternative suggested by Trisha Shirey, grounds manager At Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas, is to get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly way or stop them from eating your plants by using ordinary all-purpose flour.
Yes, ordinary all-purpose flour. When grasshoppers (or any other chewing insects such as blister beetles) feed on foliage that have been dusted with flour, their mouths get all gummed up, and the grasshopper cannot eat anymore. Furthermore, when they swallow a whole lot of this flour, they get sick and stop eating altogether.
(NOTE: You must be careful, though. To get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly, use ONLY the old-fashion all-purpose type of flour because the self-rising flour has salts in it. These salts may ruin your plants, and salt is not good for the soil.)
You can buy a commercial garden duster to use this method which will get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly way, but why not save money and make your own duster?
1. You can punch a dozen or so holes in the bottom and lower sides of a brown paper lunch-size bag with an ice pick or a carving fork and use it to dust flour onto the foliage in your garden.
2. Other types of containers might be salt or pepper shakers, empty spice containers which have perforated lids, grated cheese jars, or any other container which has a shaker top or which has a cover through which you can punch holes by using a tiny nail and hammer.
To Get Rid Of Grasshoppers The Eco-Friendly Way, Use This Flour Recipe
First, you must gather the following items: 3 cups of plain all-purpose flour, a garden duster or salt shaker or any container with a shaker cover, and a garden hose.
1. The best time to use this method in order to get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly is early in the morning when there is no wind and there is still dew on the plants.
It’s important that there be no wind so that the flour will end up on your plants and not be scattered all over your neighborhood.
The dew will help the flour stay on your plant and not be blown away. You could also use this method after rain as long as there is no wind.
2. Pour the flour into a container with a shaker top or the perforated paper bag. If you have only a small garden, use less flour.
3. Before dusting the flour on the plants in your garden, give the foliage a shake in order to get the grasshoppers to move off them.
4. Dust the leaves AND the insects with the flour.
4. After 2 days, rinse off the flour from your plants. Use a fine spray in order not to damage your leave. If the leaves are hairy (such as tomato leaves), you may need to rinse twice.
If you need to repeat this method to get rid of grasshoppers, wait about a week before you dust your leaves again. As long as you don’t leave the flour on the leaves for more than 2 days, the flour will not damage your plants.