jwwrs Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Thought I would ask about this since the forum covers such a wide range of the U.S. Has anyone noticed a lack or total absence of grasshoppers this year? Also, honeybees. I'm not suggesting this has anything to do with the oil spill, but in the past, by this time of the year you would see grasshoppers and honeybees everywhere. When you have these benificial inscects dissappear you can bet your @ss that there is gonna be a problem further up the food chain. I have not seen a single grasshopper and very few honeybees this year. I can remember when I was a child that going barefoot outside meant that you were going to get stung when stepping on a bee, probably several times during the course of the summer. So, what about where you are? Any similar observations? Randall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Thought I would ask about this since the forum covers such a wide range of the U.S. Has anyone noticed a lack or total absence of grasshoppers this year? Also, honeybees. I'm not suggesting this has anything to do with the oil spill, but in the past, by this time of the year you would see grasshoppers and honeybees everywhere. When you have these benificial inscects dissappear you can bet your @ss that there is gonna be a problem further up the food chain. I have not seen a single grasshopper and very few honeybees this year. I can remember when I was a child that going barefoot outside meant that you were going to get stung when stepping on a bee, probably several times during the course of the summer. So, what about where you are? Any similar observations? Randall Lots of grasshopers here. I've noticed a rise in Mantises. They are really cool. Last year I saw one rip the head off a roach and eat it. Go MANTIS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 A little early for grasshoppers here. They show up after it gets really dry. The hollies were covered in bees this spring when they were in flower. Just saw the first baby preying mantis yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted June 6, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 6, 2010 Yesterday I was outside by the tractor shed and seen a grasshopper, the strange part is it was being carried by a wasp, it was one of the big green grasshoppers and was bigger than the wasp. I had no idea they ate grasshoppers. We do have a ton of frogs here, little green ones and bull frogs, it is so loud at night you can hardly talk when on the porch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerolW Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Baby green grasshopers have just recently started to appear here in the Great Northwest. Plenty of honeybees, also. jerol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrinkles Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Had a hive put in a month ago. Cordovan Queen Bee. Very docile. You can get within 1 to 2 feet of the hive before they decide you may be a stranger. I had a huge stand of wild plum trees covered in blossoms recently. I did not see a single bee on any of the over 150 trees. That is when I decided our neighborhood needed some bee help. Not a bad deal. Another person takes care of the hive and we split the honey. Win-Win. Have not seen any grasshopers. Lots of fireants and scorpions tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Over the last year or so, there have been reports of bees dissappearing. Whole hives turning up empty.This can be bad for a lot of pollenation that still needs to take place with many of our crops. Researchers aren't sure why, just yet. We have plenty of yellowjackets here... [] Haven't seen any grasshoppers yet, but it's been too wet, probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Last year, I was working at a squadron of missile launch facilities in north-central Montana - no shortage of grasshoppers there. After a wind storm, a bunch of them were impaled on the barbed wire around one of the launch facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Cool pic Sputs...There is a bird called the Loggerhead Shrike ( AKA the butcher bird) that is known to impale its prey on barbs like this...maybe a possible explanation?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 I do a lot less spraying on my property now (2-4-D), preferring to spot spray the dandelions instead of coating the entire lawn in poison. Partly this is for the health of my pets, but it has helped the insect and bird population. Especially butterflies, they must be very susceptible to sprays as nearly any spraying will deter them for weeks. The frogs at Dtels are so loud that it sounds like dogs barking sometimes. Incredible stuff. Haven't seen any fireflies yet, anyone have them yet? M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted June 8, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 8, 2010 I agree, Colter. I hand pull all my dandelions - can't stand the chemical stuff. Plus it is quite theraputic. [] We rarely see crickets in our suburban neighborhood, but I have noticed a severe lack of fireflies (lightning bugs) over the past several seasons. Hopefully they are still found in great numbers in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Fireflies appear in no where near the numbers. When I was a kid the neighborhood would look amazing. What you see no pales in comparison. Not sure what has caused this. The little girl next door to me used to wipe the lightning bug tales on her pants and teeth so they would glow. Ahhh she was so cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Haven't seen any fireflies yet, anyone have them yet? Already have tons of fireflies...I love it when they are about 50ft up in the trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwwrs Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 The grasshoppers seem to have moved out around here or are still dormant, if that's the right word; but I'm still hoping that the over abundance of rain the past two months is the cause of this. As far as fireflies, the past several years had me wondering about them too. This year, however, has resulted in a vast resurgence of them. I live in town, but go outside at night and it's a true lightshow. I guess since it seems that quite a few folks have spotted or have the grasshoppers and honeybees maybe it's just a natural insect thing. I hope that is the case. God knows, we ourselves cause enough (read basically all) problems with the enviroment. Randall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Pesticides and habitat destruction are mostly responsible for the demise of fireflies. They are frontline indicators of environmental health of our current ecosystem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 I hand pull all my dandelions Do you use a dandelion knife? They're a tool with a flat end with a notch in the middle of it to cut the root. You're right, it is sort of satisfying to remove all the dandelions from the lawns.As for bees, we lost most of the ones on Vancouver Island over the winter (possibly due to Colony Collapse Disorder, as well as a number of other factors) and a recent law change was proposed to allow farmers to bring in bee species that are not native to the Island (we've got quite a few types that are only found here, apparently), but there's some resistance to the idea. CBC News report about Island bees: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/09/bc-vancouver-island-bees-die.htmlMore info on CCD here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorderAs for grasshoppers, I've never seen any in the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted June 9, 2010 Moderators Share Posted June 9, 2010 Do you use a dandelion knife? They're a tool with a flat end with a notch in the middle of it to cut the root. I use a weed puller that looks like a snake's tongue - is that what you mean? Doesn't cut the root, but rather pulls the entire thing out, roots and all. Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I use no pesticides on my yard- spot spray with round up or weed be gone to kill the crabgrass and dandelions. I have grasshoppers- bees- wasps- yellowjackets- flies-misquitos- you name it I dont even buy bait sometime when I go to the lake- catch those big green grasshoppers in the long grass beside the lake- bass love them you want insects and bugs-- we got em- send me your address- i will send you all you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peshewah Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 The mosquito's are terrible. It seems awful early. As for firefly's, they are thick as well. Its like a big light show. I love to watch them but the mosquitos will eat you alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 Bunnies love dandelions. Don't use round up or other herbicides because you will be drinking it later as it works its way into the water supply. Treatment can help eliminate these contaminants but the more is used the higher the cost of treatment therefore the higher the cost of water. Green can also be cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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