Scientific Name(s)
Ensifera
Type
Insect
Leaf Condition
Chewed From Margin Inward, Chewing Damage
Field Distribution
Edges
Cropping System
Reduced Till

Immature grasshoppers and black crickets can pose a problem in no-tillage situations, especially where the previous crop was pasture or forage (e.g. lespadeza). These are conditions where many grasshopper or cricket egg cases may have overwintered in the soil. After hatching, the immature insects eat leaf tissue and often cut the stem of newly emerged seedlings just below the cotyledon seed leaves, causing the plant to die. In situations where insect numbers are high, the feeding can cause significant stand loss and defoliation. Most often there will be concentrations of grasshoppers and crickets at the field edges. This problem that affects a low percentage of the soybean acreage. In some circumstances treatment may be warranted.

Photo of cricket

Cricket.

None

Photo of grasshopper

Grasshopper.

None

Author:

Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Entomology & Plant Pathology
 This NC State FactSheet can be viewed and printed at https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/grasshoppers-and-crickets-in-soybean.
NC State Extension