Return of the grasshoppers? Experts discuss likelihood of another surge in Lethbridge

In the summer of 2021, farmers and Lethbridge residents were faced with a lot of six-legged problems.

Grasshoppers were served perfect conditions to thrive as the area experienced a lack of moisture and hot temperatures.

“In agriculture, more than 10 or 15 per square metre on a warm day will do a lot of damage in feeding,” explained University of Lethbridge professor Dan Johnson.

“But people here easily had 100 per square metre, so they were way over the top.”

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For Lethbridge resident Darlene Hawley, the influx meant she couldn’t enjoy her backyard for much of the summer. Although she didn’t have any outdoor plants at the time, her neighbours’ trees fell victim.

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“I basically stayed in the house,” Hawley said.

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“The grass was just covered in grasshoppers, the fence, the windows. They were just everywhere.”

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Erin McIlwraith, the City of Lethbridge’s pest control foreman, said the parks department received quite a few calls from residents experiencing infestations.

“It’s challenging because we don’t have a pesticide option to be used in residential areas, and we don’t want to be using insecticides that are unsafe for people, pets,” McIlwraith explained.

“We hear you, and we’re doing the best we can.”

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The 2022 Grasshopper Mitigation Plan is now in use. It was recently discussed at the Civic Works Standing Policy Committee meeting on June 8 and was accepted as information by Lethbridge city council on June 21.

The plan is a collaborative effort between the City of Lethbridge, Lethbridge County and the University of Lethbridge.

It begins with monitoring.

“Last year we didn’t know what the numbers were at this point in time because we weren’t monitoring,” she continued.

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“So with the work that we’ve been doing and implementing this program (and just being proactive), we know that the numbers were rising quite rapidly, and then with this amazing rainfall that came, the numbers have dropped drastically.”

According to Johnson, who is volunteering his expertise for the mitigation plan, many grasshoppers were wiped out during recent rains, decreasing the population by about 90 per cent.

The main type of pest grasshopper that caused issues in Lethbridge was the two-stripped kind.

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“Of the many things that can suppress young, growing grasshoppers, rain is one of the biggest ones. It hits them hard,” Johnson said.

“They have one generation per year, so all of the ones that died in this rainstorm will not be coming back. There are some eggs hatching, but most of those are from different species.”

While Johnson said the grasshopper problem won’t be anywhere near what it was in 2021, farmers are staying vigilant.

“We are observing pretty carefully because there were a lot of eggs planted last fall,” said John Kolk, whose crops were impacted last year. “Not a panic at this point, but a high level of awareness from agronomists and farmers.”