You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I found a few dozen of these on the counter surrounding 2 small, potted citrus trees (indoors). Some were alive; some were dead. I noticed an occurrence of these same, soft-bodied insects a few months ago, but without my glasses, I wrongly assumed they were dried petals off the citrus blooms. They are only about 5 mm. in length, and even under a microscope, I don't see any evidence of wings. They look like tiny grasshopper nymphs with mottled and spotted, brown coloring; short, banded antennae; barbed legs; and large eyes. The heads are the same shape as those of a grasshopper, only much tinier, and the thorax and abdomen are both plated from head to tail. Sorry for the poor photos, but my camera was not able to pick up much of the fine detail. Can anyone tell me what they are and what I should do to prevent them from reproducing again?
They do look like Wrinkled Grasshopper nymphs except for the size. From what I've read, even the eggs of Wrinkled Grasshoppers are larger than the insects I posted. I requested an ID from BugGuide, too, so maybe someone from that site will confirm your ID. Thanks for responding.
The experts at BugGuide have identified these nymphs as grasshoppers belonging to the genus Melanoplus, a large group of rather large grasshoppers. A more specific ID cannot be determined since these nymphs don't have any differentiating characteristics. As it turns out, I brought a small container of sedum indoors that had been outside during the summer and placed it near the citrus trees. Eggs were laid in the container during the summer, and then began to hatch indoors. I drenched the pot in a solution of imidacloprid, so I don't think I'll need to worry about future hatchlings. Thanks to all for your comments and suggestions.
