Drought Contributing To Grasshopper Impact

(Canton, SD) — Grasshoppers are taking over southeastern South Dakota, and the lack of moisture may be partly to blame. Lack of other thriving plant matter in the area may be driving them toward crops and gardens because they’re still green. According to Amanda Bachmann, pesticide education and urban etymology field specialist with SDSU Extension, South Dakota has a large variety of species of grasshoppers. She says many of them are currently hitting adulthood in parts of the state when they do the most damage.