Treating these areas may lessen the total numbers of grasshoppers successfully entering a field. Assess feeding injury before making a treatment decision. Also consider direct feeding on pods in bean or ears in corn crops. Treatment guidelines for grasshoppers on corn are not well established. Of greater concern is direct feeding damage to pods and seeds.
Grasshoppers are able to chew directly through the pod walls and damage seed directly.
The severity of lodging, which results from strong winds, often indicates the health of corn plant roots, says Bob Byrnes, U of M Lyon County Extension Educator. Check for rootworm activity by digging up the plant, washing the roots with water, and looking for feeding scars on the roots or destruction of root nodes. Historically, rotating corn and soybean has effectively controlled corn rootworms, though some corn rootworms can adapt to this rotation. An instruction sheet and management decision aid for corn rootworm beetle scouting are available from U of M county extension offices.