The most effective way to get rid of lubber grasshoppers is to target them early, while they’re still small nymphs in spring. Once lubbers reach full adult size in midsummer, they become remarkably resistant to insecticides and too large and toxic for most natural predators to handle. Your best results come from combining manual removal, well-timed chemical sprays, and preventive steps that reduce next year’s population.
Why Timing Matters More Than Method
Eastern lubber grasshoppers have one generation per year. Eggs overwinter in the soil for six to eight months, then hatch in spring. In northern Florida and along the Gulf Coast, nymphs first appear in March or April. They pass through five molts over the following weeks, growing larger and harder to kill at each stage. By July and August, the population hits peak adult numbers, and adults begin laying eggs about a month after they emerge.
This lifecycle creates a narrow window of opportunity. Young nymphs are small, black with a yellow or orange stripe, and they tend to cluster together in groups. That clustering makes them easy to spot and easy to treat in bulk. Once they spread out and mature into the large, bright yellow-and-black adults, control becomes a one-at-a-time slog. Everything below works best when you act in that early spring window.
Hand Removal and Soapy Water
For small infestations, the simplest approach is picking them off by hand or sweeping them into a bucket of soapy water. Lubbers are slow and clumsy compared to other grasshoppers, so they’re easy to catch. A butterfly net works well if you’d rather not grab them directly. The soapy water kills them quickly. This method is free, requires no chemicals, and is perfectly effective if you’re dealing with a few dozen rather than a few hundred.
Check your garden beds and the base of shrubs every few days in early spring. Nymphs often congregate in dense groups right after hatching, so you can sometimes scoop up 20 or 30 at once before they disperse across your yard.
Insecticide Sprays for Larger Infestations
Chemical control works well on young nymphs but becomes significantly less effective on mature adults. UF/IFAS Extension recommends spraying early in the life cycle for best results. Active ingredients to look for in consumer insecticide products include bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, permethrin, esfenvalerate, and spinosad. Spinosad is derived from a naturally occurring soil bacterium, making it a common choice for gardeners who prefer something closer to organic.
Apply any product according to its label directions, paying attention to which plants you can safely spray and how close to edible crops you can use it. Direct contact with the nymphs is more effective than broadcast spraying. Focus on areas where you see clusters of young grasshoppers rather than treating your entire yard.
Biological Bait With Nosema Locustae
A biological option uses a naturally occurring grasshopper pathogen mixed into wheat bran bait. Grasshoppers eat the bait while foraging, become infected, and die over the following weeks. This approach selectively kills grasshoppers and other foraging insects without harming birds, pets, or beneficial pollinators.
The catch is that it only works on early-stage nymphs, it’s relatively expensive, and it needs to be reapplied frequently. Rain or sprinkler irrigation washes the bait away, so you’ll need to put down a fresh application after any wetting event. Spread the bait evenly across the area where nymphs are active rather than piling it in one spot. When applied correctly and at the right time, it’s a very effective option.
Natural Predators That Help
Young lubber nymphs have a long list of natural predators. Cardinals, blue jays, bluebirds, swallow-tailed kites, and barred owls all eat them. So do gray squirrels, fox squirrels, raccoons, and opossums. Box turtles, leopard frogs, certain wasps, spiders, and wheel bugs also prey on nymphs.
Adults are a different story. Lubbers accumulate toxic compounds from the plants they eat and store them in their bodies. When threatened, they release a foamy, foul-smelling secretion that repels almost everything. The loggerhead shrike is one of the only birds that eats adult lubbers, and it does so by impaling them on thorns or barbed wire and waiting for the toxins to break down before feeding. You can encourage natural predation by maintaining habitat for native wildlife, but don’t count on predators alone to solve a serious infestation.
Reducing Next Year’s Population
Adults lay eggs in the soil starting around August or September. Those eggs sit underground through fall and winter before hatching the following spring. Tilling or cultivating soil in garden beds during late fall or winter can expose and destroy egg pods before they hatch. This won’t eliminate every egg in your yard, especially in areas you can’t till like lawn edges and flower beds, but it reduces the number of nymphs that emerge in spring.
Keeping your yard free of dense, low ground cover also removes the sheltered spots where nymphs like to gather after hatching. Lubbers favor weedy, overgrown areas near moisture. Cleaning up leaf litter and trimming back dense vegetation along fence lines and garden borders removes the habitat where they tend to concentrate early in the season, making them easier to spot and treat before they spread.
Are Lubbers Dangerous to Pets?
Lubbers produce a mild toxin that can sicken pets, particularly dogs that snap at moving insects. The toxin comes from plant-derived compounds the grasshoppers accumulate in their tissues and release as a bitter, foul-smelling froth when threatened. It’s a defensive repellent, not venom. It’s not comparable to a spider or snake bite, but a dog that eats one may drool excessively, vomit, or refuse food for a short time. Cats tend to be less interested in chasing them but face similar mild symptoms if they eat one. If your pets spend time in areas with high lubber activity, removing the grasshoppers promptly keeps everyone more comfortable.