The Most Common Plants Eaten by Grasshoppers

Grasses

• Although grasshoppers have a reputation for devouring vegetable gardens and cultivated crops, they also love tall grasses. Meadows and fields filled with grass near gardens are favorite places for grasshoppers to feed. Often, once they have devoured all of the tender grasses, they will move on to garden vegetables.

Corn

• Corn is one of the most-loved vegetables. Grasshoppers enjoy eating the leaves and stems while they are still small, before the stalks have had a chance to fully grow and develop. A swarm of grasshoppers can destroy an entire field of corn in only a few hours. If food is plentiful and the insects have a choice between corn and other garden plants, they will usually choose corn first.

Lettuce

• Because the leaves are sweet and tender, grasshoppers love all types of lettuce. They will often eat the entire plant down to the base. They also prefer spinach and similar leafy vegetables over many other garden vegetables.

Beans

• As with lettuce, bean plants have tender leaves that are highly attractive to grasshoppers. Many times the grasshoppers don't stop with just the leaves. They will continue to the bean pods, devouring the entire useful part of the plant.

Carrots

• While grasshoppers don't eat the root, the part of the plant that humans prefer, they love the leafy tops. Even in small numbers, grasshoppers can wreak havoc on a carrot crop, stunting the growth of the vegetable by eating the tops.

Annual Flowers

• With their small leaves and stems that often appear in late spring, about the same time grasshoppers go on a feeding frenzy, annual flowers are a special treat for these insects. They especially prefer flowers with vine-like growing habits, such as sweet peas.

Young Plants

• Any young plant that is just putting out tender new leaves and has a soft, tender green stem is favored by grasshoppers. They will choose a young plant over an older, established one nearly every time. Young garden plants are especially susceptible because there is an abundance of them in a small area.

Least Favorite Plants

• Although grasshoppers will eat nearly any plant, there are some that are less desirable than others. Given a choice, grasshoppers will choose other vegetables and plants over tomatoes, squash or peas. This does not mean that they will not eat these plants, but they are usually eaten last, after all other food sources are exhausted.