At first sight, you may think the lubber grasshopper is a very attractive insect with its bright vibrant colors of yellow, orange and black. But beware! This handsome insect has a voracious appetite and can devour and damage many plants, including vegetable crops, citrus and ornamentals. They have been known to feed on 100 different plant species. In the landscape, their favorite plants are from the lily family such as Crinum and Amaryllis, but will munch on most any broadleaf plant, leaving irregular holes in their wake.
The Eastern lubber, a native of Florida, is one of the largest insects in North America. Its average length is 3 inches, females larger than males. The insect has wings but does not fly. It navigates by walking and climbing. Because of its slow movement, it was named lubber, after an old English word, “lobre”, meaning lazy or clumsy, a good way to describe this insect. Their bright color is a defense mechanism, a warning to predators to stay away. It also synthesizes a toxin from the plants it ingests and secretes it as a froth when threatened.
There is one generation of lubber per year. The female lays her eggs in the summer. In the spring when the soil warms, the nymphs (immature grasshoppers) emerge. In the Verandah, they can frequently be seen marching in rows across pavement adjacent to the preserve areas. This usually occurs in February to early March. The nymphs are black in color with a small red, orange or yellow stripe. They will go through 5-6 molts before becoming an adult. During this period, they will feed ferociously.
The lubber has no natural enemies because of their tough exoskeleton and bitter taste, except for the Loggerhead shrike. This small bird captures and decapitates the insect before impaling it on a sharp object such as a thorn. He then leaves it there to bake out the toxin before eating.
Insecticides are relatively ineffective in controlling the adult lubber grasshopper. They can be used in the nymph stage before the exoskeleton hardens, if necessary. In the home landscape, the best method of control is hand picking and submerging in a bucket of soapy water or stomping on them.
*The lubber has no natural enemies because of their tough exoskeleton and bitter taste, except for the Loggerhead shrike.
