Young hungry hoppers have been found in dryland wheat fields in Cypress County. (Photo From Twitter/N_Neubauer)

By Brian Konrad

Grasshoppers have started to appear in Cypress County

Jun 23, 2022 | 11:41 AM

CYPRESS COUNTY, AB — Another impact of years of drought has begun showing up in Cypress County.

Young, hungry grasshoppers have been found munching on a dryland wheat crop at Neubauer farms.

Nichole Neubauer posted a picture of a hungry hopper last weekend and notes it doesn’t take long for juvenile grasshoppers to move from the perimeter and begin damaging an entire crop.

That’s why control measures at this stage are crucial.

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“Once they’re quite big, later in the season, it’s not as effective because they’ve done the damage and they are ready to lay eggs,” explains Neubauer.

She says spraying the crop with an agent that makes it taste bad so they don’t eat it also helps to curb their population.

Neubauer notes that hopper populations tend to increase after prolonged dry periods, and she’s hoping the recent rain and cooler weather will also serve to hamper their development.

Cypress County agriculture fieldman Lisa Sultz says they’ve not received any reports of infestation, but an acreage owner between Medicine Hat and Irvine did have some concerns about grasshopper numbers.