FACTSHEETS FOR FARMERS
Created in Sierra Leone, December 2008 (Revised December 2012)
www.plantwise.org
Killing grasshopper eggs
Recognize the problem
The grasshopper eats at least 18 different types of crops in Sierra
Leone. Between March and April you will find grasshoppers mating,
mounting on each other. Immediately after mating the male dies. This
means you will find dead grasshoppers around, although in some cases
female grasshoppers cut off the head of the male and eat the head.
Background
Grasshoppers lay eggs in old cassava plantations or other areas with low
shrubs. They lay their eggs in cool, soft, damp soil.
The female lays her eggs in a cluster about 3 inches below the surface
of the soil. The capsule is pinkish and yellow and is about the size of a
man’s thumb. You will find about six to ten pods in each hole.
Each pod can bear about 200 to 250 offspring. The eggs stay in the soil
for several months and will only hatch after the rains have stopped.
Grasshopper adult. (Photo by Jeffery
Bentley)
Management
Kill the grasshoppers before they are born:
 In March and April look for areas where grasshoppers lay their eggs.
Mark these places with poles stuck in the ground. You may add a bit
of cloth or some other sign so you can find the place again.
 In June return to the areas where you originally found the
grasshoppers mating. By June they will all have mated, and you can
kill their eggs.
 Between June and July dig out the egg pods. Find the small holes
where the grasshoppers laid their eggs and dig out the egg pods
with sticks or cutlasses.
 Once you have found the egg pods there are many ways to destroy
them. For example, you can dig a big hole and put the egg pods in
it and bury them with earth. You can put up a fire with dry shrubs
and burn the egg pods.
Scientific name  Zonocerus variegatus
The recommendations in this factsheet are relevant to: Sierra Leone, Ghana
AUTHORS: JD Spencer, HJ Tucker
Crop Protection Services, MAFFS, Youyi Building, Freetown, Sierra Leone
tel: +232 76 609 342
Plantwise is a global initiative led by CABI
Edited by Jeffery Bentley
and Katherine Cameron
PLANTWISE
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