Hoards of grasshoppers are gobbling crops and even chewing the paint off houses in northeast Nebraska, but an Iowa State University bug expert says while there are more grasshoppers than normal in western Iowa, there’s no major infestation.Iowa State University entomologist Ken Holscher says since grasshoppers have a one-year life cycle, there’s really no big concern about a grasshopper plague in Iowa.Holscher says if you do have a concern, check areas that’re adjacent to your garden or farm field.Holscher says weather conditions in western states have unfortunately been ideal for the grasshopper as they overwinter by putting their eggs in the soil. A mild winter allows more eggs to survive, and the weather was also ideal when the eggs hatched. Holscher can’t remember when there was a major grasshopper infestation in Iowa.
