It’s a brutal year for grasshoppers in Colorado. Here’s why – and how to deal with them

In The NOCO

Grasshoppers are everywhere along Colorado's Front Range right now. They blanket the sidewalks and lawns – which makes them a pest. But they also devastate crops, which makes them a real problem for farmers.

Our friends at the Colorado State University Extension run a sort of hotline for folks with questions about gardening and lawncare. They confirmed that this is an extraordinary summer: They say grasshopper-related calls are up 600 percent in recent weeks as dozens of people call in with their hopper-related concerns.

Host Erin O’Toole got some explanation about why grasshoppers are so bad this year – and what to do about it – from Karim Gharbi, a horticulture expert and entomologist with the CSU Extension.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.