Do Grasshoppers Eat Tomato Plants? And How to Get Rid of Them

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Grasshoppers will eat tomato plants, but they’re not the pest’s first choice. Given other options, they’ll strip your lettuce, beans, and corn long before they touch a tomato. The real trouble starts in drought years and population explosions, when food runs short and they start moving through everything in range. As an organic permaculture specialist, I’ve watched grasshopper pressure go from a handful of insects to a full bed destroyed in under a week. The organic controls I rely on all work, but several of them are time-sensitive. Timing matters more with grasshoppers than with most garden pests, which is why understanding their life cycle is the foundation of good control.

How to spot grasshopper damage on your tomatoes

Grasshopper damage is large, ragged, and irregular: holes chewed into leaves from the outer edges inward, leaving rough, scalloped margins. This distinguishes it from aphid damage, which yellows and distorts foliage without clean cuts; from caterpillar feeding, which tends to work inward from the leaf underside; and from slug damage, which always comes with a slime trail. In a serious infestation, stems will be partially stripped, unripe and ripe fruit will show bites taken from the outer skin, and a plant can be completely defoliated.

Adult grasshoppers are hard to miss. They’re 1 to 1.5 inches long, brown to yellow-green in color, with powerfully enlarged hind legs and chewing mouthparts built for exactly this kind of damage. A grasshopper nymph is the immature stage of the insect: it looks like a smaller version of the adult but has wing buds instead of full wings and cannot fly. Because nymphs can’t fly, they’re far easier to control than adults, which is one of the strongest arguments for getting on top of a grasshopper problem early in the season, before they reach adulthood and start migrating.

How the grasshopper life cycle affects your timing

Female grasshoppers lay their eggs in tight underground pods in late summer and early fall, pushing them 1 to 2 inches below the surface into dry, undisturbed soil. The eggs overwinter and hatch in mid- to late spring as soil temperatures rise. Nymphs emerge from the soil and begin feeding immediately on whatever plant growth is nearby. They pass through five or six molts over the next four to six weeks before reaching the adult stage, typically by June or July depending on your region and the year’s weather.

Once adults develop wings, they can fly for miles and migrate onto your garden from neighboring land. A plot that looked clean one week can be overrun the next. This is why the most effective preventive controls, specifically tilling to destroy egg pods and applying Nosema locustae bait, only work in spring on young nymphs before adult migration occurs. If you wait until you’re seeing adults on your plants, you’re already in reactive mode. Reactive mode is harder. Get into the habit of scouting your garden in late spring for young nymphs, and act then.

Grasshoppers eat ripe tomatoes too

Yes. Hungry grasshoppers eat ripe tomatoes, unripe tomatoes, and virtually any other soft plant tissue they encounter. Their lack of discrimination is exactly what makes them so destructive. One or two grasshoppers grazing on a plant is manageable. A swarm is a different situation entirely, and the speed at which adults can strip fruit and foliage is genuinely alarming if you haven’t experienced it before.

The real damage grasshoppers do beyond stripping leaves

Defoliation is the obvious damage, but there’s a secondary risk worth knowing about. As grasshoppers chew through multiple plants, they can mechanically transmit tobacco mosaic virus to healthy tomato plants as they move between them. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a persistent plant virus that causes mottled, distorted foliage and significantly reduced fruit production in tomatoes and other solanaceous crops. There’s no cure once a plant is infected. Beyond the disease risk, even minor grasshopper feeding leaves open wounds that fungal pathogens can use as entry points, so the secondary damage from a grasshopper visit can outlast the visit itself.

Crickets eat tomatoes too

Yes, crickets eat tomatoes. They’re omnivorous and will go for tomato plants, ripe fruit, and decaying plant matter with equal enthusiasm. The same organic methods that work against grasshoppers generally work for crickets, so if you’re dealing with both, you don’t need a separate control strategy.

How to keep grasshoppers off your tomatoes

The most effective organic grasshopper control uses several methods together. A single method rarely holds through a bad season because grasshoppers are mobile and persistent. Here’s what I use and why each one earns its place.

Till in spring to destroy overwintering eggs

Rototilling the beds and surrounding soil in early spring, before eggs hatch, physically destroys the underground egg pods and exposes them to weather, birds, and predatory insects. Grasshoppers prefer to lay eggs in dry, undisturbed soil, so regular cultivation also discourages egg laying in the first place. End-of-season tilling after harvest achieves the same result. This costs nothing except an hour of time, and the reduction in the following year’s hatch can be dramatic.

Use floating row covers

A floating row cover or fine mesh barrier is one of the most effective ways to protect tomatoes during high-pressure periods, particularly early in the season when nymphs are active and plants don’t yet need pollinator access. The cover creates a physical barrier that grasshoppers can’t penetrate. The caveat is that during a severe adult infestation, determined grasshoppers can chew through lightweight fabric. Use row covers as prevention during nymph season and pair them with other methods once adults are present. Remove covers when flowers appear so pollinators can reach the blooms.

Keep the area free of weeds

Keep the ground around your tomatoes clear of weeds and debris. Grasshoppers and their nymphs use dense ground cover for shelter, and a weedy perimeter provides both food and habitat close to your crops. Regular weeding removes that habitat and forces them to look elsewhere. It sounds basic because it is, and it’s still one of the better passive deterrents available.

If grasshoppers are already feeding, harvest early

If you’re dealing with active grasshopper damage and your tomatoes are close to ripe, harvest them early and let them finish ripening indoors. Even minor feeding leaves tomatoes more susceptible to fungal disease and further pest damage. A tomato ripened on the kitchen counter is far better than one destroyed on the vine, and getting the fruit off the plant removes the incentive for grasshoppers to keep coming back to that spot.

Set a molasses trap

Similar to how you control slugs with stale beer, a molasses and water mix traps grasshoppers effectively. Bury a jar near your tomatoes with the rim level with the soil surface, filled with 1 part molasses to 10 parts water. Grasshoppers are drawn to the molasses, dive in to feed, and drown. Empty and refresh the trap every few days and keep it in place for several weeks during peak grasshopper season. It won’t eliminate a major infestation on its own, but as part of a layered approach it consistently pulls real numbers.

RELATED POST: How to Control Slugs

Companion planting to repel grasshoppers

I’m a strong companion planting advocate, and this is one of the places it genuinely earns its keep. Grasshoppers avoid certain strongly-scented or textured plants, and mixing these into or around your growing area pushes them toward looking elsewhere. Plants that consistently deter grasshoppers include dianthus, lilacs, forsythia, crepe myrtle, verbena, sage, juniper, jasmine, and salvia. Calendula and cilantro also work well interplanted directly with vegetables and earn their place twice over in any kitchen garden.

There’s also the reverse approach: give grasshoppers somewhere better to be. Allowing a strip of tall grass to grow around the perimeter of your growing space provides them with their preferred food and somewhere to complete their life cycle away from your crops. Pair this with active controls closer to the beds and you’re directing pressure away from what matters.

Attract natural predators to kill grasshoppers

To encourage natural grasshopper control, similar to how you’d approach controlling tomato hornworm, plant bold flowers that attract robber flies and predatory wasps. Good choices include sunflowers, marigolds, calendula, asters, and sweet alyssum. Creating habitat for toads and large spiders adds another layer of biological control; a single toad can eat hundreds of insects in a night. Making your garden bird-friendly with a water source, native plantings, and a feeding station draws in species that prey heavily on grasshoppers through summer, especially when birds are feeding young.

Bring in the chickens

If you keep chickens or can borrow a neighbor’s flock, they’re one of the most efficient grasshopper control tools available. Chickens eat grasshoppers voraciously and enjoy doing it. The obvious caveat is that chickens don’t distinguish between grasshoppers and tomato plants, so supervise them or fence the beds while letting the birds work the perimeter and weedy areas where grasshoppers congregate. You’ll see the numbers drop fast.

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Nosema locustae bait (Nolo Bait and Semaspore)

Nosema locustae is a naturally occurring protozoan that infects and kills grasshoppers. It’s the active ingredient in organic grasshopper baits sold as Nolo Bait and Semaspore, both certified for use in organic production and safe for humans, pets, birds, and beneficial insects. Once a grasshopper eats the bait and is infected, other grasshoppers in the area eat the infected individual and contract the disease in turn. This spread-by-cannibalism mechanism means a single well-timed application can suppress populations across multiple generations.

The timing is everything with this one. Nosema locustae bait is only effective against young nymphs before adult migration begins. Once adults have developed wings and started flying, the bait has little effect. Apply it in spring when nymphs are small, roughly a quarter-inch long, in the hatching areas around your garden perimeter. Keep it refrigerated before use and check the expiration date on the package. For anyone dealing with recurring grasshopper pressure year after year, this is one of my strongest recommendations.

Garlic spray

Garlic spray works against grasshoppers because they dislike the smell and taste. Blend a full bulb of garlic with around 32 ounces (1 liter) of water and 1 ounce (30 ml) of liquid dish soap. Let the mixture steep for 24 hours to infuse the garlic compounds into the liquid, then strain out the solids and decant into a spray bottle. Spray the leaves of your tomato plants every few days and always after rain.

Neem oil for natural grasshopper control

Neem oil simultaneously stunts grasshopper growth and repels them. Nymphs exposed to neem oil become lethargic and solitary rather than swarming, making them easier prey and far less effective as a destructive force. To make a neem spray, add 1 tablespoon of pure high-quality neem oil to 3 quarts of warm water with 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap. I use Dr. Bronner’s castile soap as it’s a reliable natural product. Spray onto your tomato plants and surrounding soil and reapply every few days and after rainfall until the population is under control.

One important note: neem oil is toxic to cats. If cats visit your garden, use garlic spray, the molasses trap, or neem leaf powder mixed into water instead of the oil.

What is the best natural grasshopper repellent?

Used alone, neem oil and companion planting with grasshopper-deterring plants are the most consistent repellents. But the most effective organic grasshopper control combines multiple approaches: tilling in spring to destroy egg pods, row covers early in the season while nymphs are the main threat, Nosema locustae bait applied to young nymphs before adults emerge, and active sprays like neem oil or garlic spray once adults appear. Grasshoppers are mobile and persistent, and a single-method approach rarely holds through a bad season.

FAQs

Can grasshoppers kill a tomato plant?

Yes. A significant infestation can completely defoliate a tomato plant, stripping every leaf it needs to photosynthesize. A plant with no foliage cannot produce energy and will die. Even partial defoliation weakens the plant significantly, reduces fruit production, and leaves it open to disease. One or two grasshoppers grazing is manageable. A swarm of adults is a serious, fast-moving threat.

What do grasshoppers prefer to eat in the garden?

Given a choice, grasshoppers prefer lettuce, carrots, beans, sweet corn, and onions above most other garden crops. Squash, peas, and tomato leaves are among the crops they tend to avoid when other options are available. During drought years or population explosions, that preference goes out the window and they’ll eat whatever is in front of them.

When are grasshoppers most damaging to tomatoes?

Grasshopper damage peaks from midsummer onward when adult populations are at their largest. Dry, hot summers consistently produce worse grasshopper pressure than cool, wet ones. A wet spring is actually beneficial for gardeners: cold, wet weather kills significant numbers of newly hatched nymphs before they can establish, and a season that starts wet tends to finish with lighter grasshopper pressure overall.

How do I know it’s grasshoppers and not another pest eating my tomatoes?

Grasshopper damage produces large, irregular holes chewed from the outer edges of leaves inward. There’s no slime trail (rules out slugs), no fine webbing (rules out spider mites), and no yellowing or distortion of the undamaged leaf tissue (rules out aphids and most viruses). You’ll often see the insects themselves if you check early morning or in the evening when temperatures cool. Look also for their small, dark, oval frass pellets on the soil surface beneath the plant.

Are grasshoppers and locusts the same thing?

All locusts are grasshoppers, but not all grasshoppers are locusts. The distinction is behavioral. Locusts are grasshopper species that undergo dramatic changes in physiology and behavior when population density gets high, forming the massive migratory swarms most people associate with the word. Most grasshoppers you encounter in a home garden do not form true locust swarms, though they can still cause serious damage in large numbers.

Do row covers actually work against grasshoppers?

Yes, but with limits. Row covers work well as a preventive barrier during nymph season in spring. Once adult grasshoppers are present in large numbers and determined to feed, they can chew through lightweight fabric. Use row covers early in the season and combine them with other methods during heavy infestations rather than relying on them as your only line of defense.

How do I prevent grasshoppers from coming back next year?

Till the soil around your garden in fall after harvest and again in early spring before planting. This destroys grasshopper egg pods and can dramatically reduce the population that hatches the following season. Apply Nosema locustae bait in spring once nymphs emerge but before they develop into winged adults. Encouraging birds, toads, and robber flies in your garden gives you ongoing biological pressure that keeps populations suppressed year after year rather than requiring you to fight the same battle from scratch each season.

Is neem oil safe to use on tomatoes I’m going to eat?

Yes, neem oil is considered safe for use on edible crops including tomatoes. Wash your tomatoes thoroughly before eating, as you would with any garden produce, and stop applications a few days before harvest as a general precaution. The main restriction is for cats: neem oil is toxic to them, so if cats have access to your garden, use garlic spray or a different control method instead.

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