Although they look scary, these creatures are not harmful to humans in any way. Slow movers, yet great climbers, these lubbers cannot fly, and can only jump short distances.
The annual invasion of the locusts (Lubber Grasshoppers, Romalea) has begun. Many of you are wondering how to get rid of these grasshoppers that are invading your yard. The eastern lubber grasshopper is a large and destructive garden pest, yet not harmful to humans. Lubbers are one of the few grasshopper species that occur in such significant numbers that they can cause significant damage to citrus and vegetable crops as well as ornamental landscape plants.
If you have spent any time outside over the last couple of weeks, you may have noticed that the area has been overwhelmed with Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers in and around your gardens and your home. You may have also noticed them climbing on your house. Although it is possible to treat these insects with insecticides, they are for the most part, resistant to our efforts. Some products may work if applied directly to the grasshoppers. We have found some combinations of treatments to be effective, however, due to their large size and ability to detoxify toxins, they can be very difficult to kill. Unfortunately most of the insecticides that work on these critters, are toxic to fish and with all of our waterways and wetland areas, this makes eradication sometimes impossible. According to this article it is best to treat them while they are in their nymph stage.
