Another . . . One more . . . The protozoan Nosema locustae is being commercially produced and marketed under various trade names such as Semaspore . This organism is generally sold mixed with a bait. The grasshoppers ingest the spores and a certain percentage become infected.
Infection can lead to death but more often causes reduced vigor and decreases egg-laying activity.
It has been shown, in some cases, to cause a small reduction in grasshopper populations after several weeks, but it is not a good choice where immediate control is necessary. Insects infected with this disease exhibit characteristic symptoms which are easy to recognize in the field. Shortly before death, grasshoppers crawl to the tops of the plants and die with their heads pointing upward and their legs wrapped tightly around the stalks. Grasshoppers become infected from spores which stick to the bodies as they seek food. These spores germinate and penetrate the insect cuticle.