How to Repel Grasshoppers
- 1). Acquire natural predators. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, it will be a powerful weapon in your antigrasshopper arsenal. Cats love to catch and eat grasshoppers. If you live outside the city limits or are allowed to have a small number of fowl on your in-town property, buy some from a breeder or at a local poultry swap. Chickens, guinea fowl and ducks all love to catch and eat grasshoppers, and can also provide free eggs in exchange for the free food.
- 2). Plant a barrier. Grasshoppers do not like horehound or cilantro, and planting a barricade of either herb around the plants you want to protect will keep the grasshoppers at bay. Planting calendula also works.
- 3). Spray your plants with garlic oil. Garlic oil is a good grasshopper repellent. Mince three cloves of garlic and stir the bits into an ounce of mineral oil. Allow it to soak for at least a day before straining out the garlic. Mix one teaspoon of fish emulsion (natural fertilizer found in most garden stores) with one cup of water. When the garlic/mineral oil infusion is ready, slowly blend the two into a glass jar and tighten the lid. When you're ready to spray your plants, mix two tablespoons of garlic oil per pint of water and spray. The oil will keep for a year.
- 4). Drown the pests. Mix one part molasses with ten parts water. Bury several glass jars at least halfway into your garden area. Fill the jars two-thirds to the top with the molasses/water mixture. The grasshoppers will be attracted by the sweet molasses, hop in to take a sip and drown. Remove the dead grasshoppers and refill the jars as needed.
- 5). Brew coffee repellent. Brew a pot of coffee at least five times stronger than is drinkable. Allow to cool and spray on the plants you want to protect.
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