Around broccoli, spread aluminum foil on the ground - for some mysterious reason, aphids don't like the foil and stay away. Ladybugs and praying mantises can also reduce the aphid population. Grasshoppers The least toxic way to deal with grasshoppers is to use Nolo Bait. As a grasshopper ingests one flake of the bran, it becomes infected and begins to eat less and less. Then, as uninfected grasshoppers eat their fallen comrades, they too become infected.
Infected females pass the disease through the egg-laying process.
Nolo Bait is most effective when applied during the early morning hours when grasshoppers are actively feeding. We carry this in two forms - Thuricide, which is a liquid form, and Dipel, which is a powder form. You can also use a Pyrethrin Insecticidal Soap, which will kill them on contact. Cutworms Young transplants are particularly vulnerable to cutworm damage. You can keep cutworms away by creating barriers made from milk jugs or paper cups around the plants.