Attack of the Post Oak Grasshoppers?

Ed Riley, entomologist and Associate Curator of the Texas A&M University Insect Collection, predicts Bryan-College Station is about to experience the first big outbreak of post oak grasshoppers in at least 14 years. Riley bases his prediction on observations made on outings south of College Station and west of Bryan over the past two weekends. In both areas, “large numbers of late-stage nymphs are already hitting the oaks very hard,” says Riley. He suspects "that within the week, some of these populations will start to reach maturity and their damage become more noticeable."

The post oak grasshopper, Dendrotettix quercus Packard (Orthoptera: Acrididae, Melanoplinae) feeds not only on post oak (Quercus stellata), but also on water oak (Quercus nigra) and blackjack oak (Quercus marylandica). Brazos County has already experienced a major assault on oaks earlier this season from the tortricid complex in the Archips and other species of caterpillars.

For more information, email Dr. John Jackman or phone him at 979.845.7026.

For inquiries about higher resolution images, contact Dr. Bart Drees.