Utah Crickets and Grasshoppers Guide with Exodus Pest Control to Protect Gardens

Utah’s most common garden-chewing insects include Mormon crickets, field crickets, camel crickets, Jerusalem crickets, and many short-horned grasshoppers such as migratory, two-striped, differential, red-legged, clear-winged, and band-winged grasshoppers. Most feed on grasses, weeds, flowers, vegetables, fruit tree foliage, and tender seedlings, with outbreaks more likely in dry rangeland years and weedy garden edges. Exodus Pest Control helps Utah homeowners identify the insect, protect food gardens and ornamental plants, and decide when natural prevention is enough or when professional pest control is needed.

Mormon crickets are not true crickets, but they are one of Utah’s best-known outbreak insects.

Utah’s most important crickets and grasshoppers

Crickets and grasshoppers belong to the order Orthoptera, a group known for jumping legs, chewing mouthparts, and simple life cycles. The main difference is easy to see in the antennae. Most grasshoppers have short antennae, while true crickets have long antennae. Mormon crickets are an exception in common language. They are actually shield-backed katydids, not true crickets.

Utah’s dry Great Basin valleys, foothills, lawns, irrigated gardens, alfalfa fields, rangelands, and mountain meadows all support different species.

Insect found in Utah	Where it prefers to live	Main foods	Garden risk
Mormon cricket, Anabrus simplex	Sagebrush rangeland, dry foothills, open weedy areas	Grasses, forbs, crops, other dead insects	High during migratory outbreaks
Field crickets, Gryllus species	Lawns, fields, garden edges, mulch, sheds	Seeds, seedlings, plant debris, small insects	Moderate, worse near doors and mulch
House cricket, Acheta domesticus	Warm buildings, garages, compost areas	Plant material, crumbs, dead insects	Low outdoors, nuisance indoors
Camel crickets, Ceuthophilus species	Basements, crawl spaces, caves, damp dark sites	Organic debris, fungi, dead insects	Low for gardens, nuisance indoors
Jerusalem crickets, Stenopelmatus species	Loose soil, under rocks, desert and foothill habitats	Roots, tubers, insects, decaying matter	Usually low, can nibble roots
Migratory grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes	Dry rangeland, field edges, disturbed ground	Grasses, crops, weeds	High in outbreak years
Two-striped grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus	Moist meadows, roadsides, crop edges	Broadleaf plants, grasses, vegetables	Moderate to high
Differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis	Weedy areas, crop margins, gardens	Vegetables, weeds, ornamentals	High where established
Red-legged grasshopper, Melanoplus femurrubrum	Meadows, lawns, weedy gardens	Grasses, clover, vegetables	Moderate
Clear-winged grasshopper, Camnula pellucida	Grasslands, pastures, open dry sites	Mostly grasses and grains	High for grasses and small grains
Band-winged grasshoppers, including Trimerotropis species	Bare soil, gravel, desert, roadsides	Grasses, shrubs, weeds	Usually low to moderate

The USDA APHIS Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Program tracks these insects because large outbreaks can damage rangeland forage and crops across the western United States, including Utah.

How Utah species live, breed, and spread

Most of these insects go through incomplete metamorphosis. That means they hatch as nymphs, not caterpillars or grubs. The nymphs look like small, wingless adults and molt several times before reaching maturity.

Mormon crickets

Mormon crickets are famous in Utah because they can form large walking bands. Females lay eggs in soil during late summer and fall. Eggs may hatch the next spring, but some can remain in the soil longer, which helps explain why populations may surge after favorable weather.

Nymphs feed and move together. Adults cannot fly, but they can walk long distances. During outbreaks, they may strip vegetable gardens, flower beds, alfalfa, young trees, and roadside vegetation.

Preferred habitats include:

• Sagebrush country

• Dry foothill benches

• Rangeland near irrigated landscapes

• Field margins with weeds and grasses

  
  

Mormon crickets are omnivores. They eat plants, dead insects, and sometimes injured members of their own group. That diet helps them survive in harsh, dry areas.

True crickets

Field crickets and house crickets have long antennae and a familiar chirp. Males produce sound by rubbing their wings together to attract females. Eggs are laid in soil, cracks, mulch, or protected damp places, depending on the species.

Field crickets often live in lawns, pastures, gardens, and weedy borders. They feed on seeds, seedlings, decaying organic matter, and small insects. They can damage young plants, but they also help break down plant debris.

Camel crickets are different. They do not chirp, and they prefer cool, damp, dark places such as crawl spaces, window wells, and basements. They feed mostly on organic debris and fungi.

Jerusalem crickets, sometimes called potato bugs, are large soil dwellers. They are not aggressive, but they have strong jaws. In Utah gardens, they are usually occasional visitors rather than major pests.

The term mole cricket is often searched by homeowners, but true mole crickets are not among Utah’s most common garden pests. If a suspected mole cricket appears in a Utah lawn or vegetable bed, careful identification matters before choosing a control method.

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers lay eggs in pods below the soil surface, often in late summer. Eggs overwinter and hatch when spring conditions are warm enough. Young nymphs feed on nearby weeds and grasses first. As they grow, they move into gardens, fields, and ornamental beds.

Outbreaks often start outside the garden. Weedy edges, vacant lots, dry pastures, and unmanaged field borders can produce large numbers of nymphs. By the time adults move into tomatoes, beans, lettuce, dahlias, or young fruit trees, natural control becomes harder.

Grasshopper problems often begin in weeds before adults move into vegetables and flowers.

What they eat and what eats them

Grasshoppers and crickets have chewing mouthparts. They remove irregular chunks from leaves, flowers, stems, and tender fruits. Seedlings may disappear overnight when populations are high.

Common food sources include:

• Grasses, clover, alfalfa, and pasture plants

• Weeds such as bindweed, lambsquarters, pigweed, and mustards

• Vegetable seedlings, especially beans, lettuce, peas, corn, carrots, and brassicas

• Flowers such as marigolds, zinnias, dahlias, and petunias

• Young fruit tree leaves and tender bark

• Fallen fruit, seeds, and plant debris

  
  

Grasshoppers often prefer weeds and grasses when those plants are green. When hot, dry weather cures rangeland plants, insects may move into irrigated yards because the food is softer and wetter.

Predators help keep populations in check. Utah gardens and open lands may host many natural enemies, including:

• Robins, starlings, meadowlarks, gulls, magpies, kestrels, and chickens

• Lizards, snakes, and small mammals

• Ground beetles and robber flies

• Spiders and mantids

• Parasitic flies and wasps

• Fungal pathogens during wet periods

  
  

The University of California IPM grasshopper guide notes that grasshoppers are easiest to manage while they are still young nymphs and concentrated near hatching areas. That matches what Utah gardeners often see in practice. Early spring scouting matters.

Why these insects are beneficial, even when they damage gardens

A heavy grasshopper outbreak can feel purely destructive. Yet these insects still play real ecological roles.

They convert plant material into food for birds, reptiles, spiders, and beneficial insects. They prune grasses and weeds. Their droppings return nutrients to the soil. Research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that insect herbivory can speed nutrient cycling in grassland systems under certain conditions. See Belovsky and Slade’s study, Insect herbivory accelerates nutrient cycling and increases plant production.

Crickets also help decompose dead leaves, seeds, and other organic matter. Camel crickets in crawl spaces are a nuisance, but outdoors they are part of the cleanup crew. Tree crickets and field crickets may eat small soft-bodied insects along with plant material.

The goal in a Utah garden is not to erase every Orthopteran insect. The better goal is balance. Protect seedlings, food crops, flowers, shrubs, and trees while leaving room for predators and other beneficial wildlife.

Light row covers can protect seedlings while still supporting a balanced garden ecosystem.

Natural ways to protect Utah food gardens and ornamentals

Natural prevention works best before insects become adults. Once large grasshoppers or Mormon crickets are moving in, barriers and professional help may be needed.

Reduce egg-laying and nursery areas

Keep the first 10 to 20 feet around the garden less inviting.

• Remove dense weeds along fences, sheds, and irrigation ditches.

• Mow field edges before seed heads mature.

• Clean up boards, excess mulch piles, and debris that shelter crickets.

• Avoid leaving tall, lush weeds next to vegetables.

  
  

For grasshoppers, do not rely on late mowing alone. If you mow after surrounding vegetation dries out, hungry insects may move straight into the garden. Plan edge management early.

Protect seedlings first

Young plants suffer the most. A mature tomato can survive some chewing. A newly sprouted bean may not.

Use:

• Floating row covers

• Fine insect netting

• Low tunnels

• Hardware cloth cages around prized plants

• Tree guards on young trunks

  
  

Remove covers during flowering if crops need pollination, or hand-pollinate covered plants such as squash.

Encourage predators without creating new problems

Birds, ground beetles, spiders, lizards, and beneficial wasps all help. Make the garden more predator-friendly by adding native flowering plants, shallow water sources, mulch in moderation, and pesticide-free refuge areas.

Backyard chickens can eat many insects, but they also scratch seedlings and damage mulch beds. Use them in controlled runs or before planting, not loose in a young vegetable garden.

Use baits and biological products carefully

Some grasshopper baits use Nosema locustae, a naturally occurring microsporidian pathogen. These products work slowly and are most useful against young grasshopper nymphs. They are not a quick rescue treatment for a full adult outbreak.

The Colorado State University Extension guide to grasshopper control explains that timing, nymph stage, and treatment area strongly affect results. For Utah gardens, that means scouting in spring is far more effective than reacting in midsummer.

Always follow product labels, especially near vegetables, fruit trees, pollinator plants, pets, and water.

Use barriers for Mormon cricket movement

Mormon crickets walk rather than fly, so barriers can help in some situations. Slick vertical barriers, tight seams at the soil line, and directional fencing may reduce movement into high-value beds. They must be maintained, because insects will find gaps.

For raised beds, combine barriers with row covers. For trees, protect young trunks and lower foliage when bands are nearby.

When to call Exodus Pest Control for Utah cricket and grasshopper issues

Natural methods are often enough for small, early-season populations. Call a professional when the insects threaten plant survival, food production, or young trees.

Professional help makes sense when:

• Seedlings are being cut down faster than they can recover.

• Grasshoppers are defoliating vegetables, berries, flowers, or shrubs.

• Mormon cricket bands are moving toward a garden or orchard.

• Young fruit trees are losing leaves or bark.

• Indoor crickets keep returning from crawl spaces, garages, or foundation gaps.

• You need treatment near food plants and want label-safe choices.

• Neighboring lots, fields, or rangeland keep producing new waves of insects.

  
  

Exodus Pest Control can identify whether the problem is a field cricket, a Mormon cricket, a damaging grasshopper species, or another insect with similar chewing damage. That matters because timing and treatment choice change by species, life stage, and location.

A good Utah pest control plan should include inspection, habitat reduction, exclusion where practical, and targeted treatment only when needed. Broad, repeated spraying can harm predators and pollinators. A careful approach protects vegetables, ornamentals, trees, and the garden’s natural defenses.

For more on protecting helpful insects while managing pests, read Exodus Pest Control’s guide to bee species in Utah and pollinator protection.

Accurate identification helps separate normal insect activity from a damaging outbreak.

The best approach is early, local, and balanced

Utah’s crickets and grasshoppers are part of the state’s dryland food web, but they can overwhelm gardens when weather, weeds, and population cycles line up. The most reliable plan is to scout early, remove weedy nursery areas, protect seedlings with covers, support predators, and act while nymphs are still small.

When chewing damage spreads quickly or valuable food plants, flowers, shrubs, or trees are at risk, bring in Exodus Pest Control for local Utah identification and a targeted plan. Fast, accurate action can save a garden without treating more than necessary.

Exodus Pest Control - Utah County

2452 W Center St

Provo, UT 84601

(385) 319-3693

(Also Servicing Sundance, Midway, Heber, Mona, and Nephi)

Exodus Pest Control - Salt Lake County

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Midvale, UT 84047

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