Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Trouble ahead: Lubbers

Taking the dogs for a walk to the nearby pocket park, I noticed this horrible sight: hundreds and hundreds of lubber nymphs. I've never seen them clustered in such large numbers before, so I guess for those of us in Florida, we're in for another bad year.

Now is the time to check your garden for the nymphs because they tend to cluster together and are susceptible to Sevin or other insecticides. As they get bigger, they disperse and are immune to everything but being squashed.















14 comments:

Susan said...

I have been expecting these dreaded little creatures. I'll have to get some Sevin and be on the hunt for them. Thanks for the heads up!

Terra Mirabilis said...

Hey, Susan. I wish it hadn't been necessary. :-(

Anonymous said...

AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!! They're plaguing my yard here in Naples, too, and my hubby and I have been out doing The Lubber Stomp. They do a number on my crinums.

Meems said...

Penny,
I guess they show up down there a little ahead of us a few hours north. My neighbors and I have been on watch for them. We know when one of us spots them in clusters like this that all of us will have them hatching somewhere in our yard. Then the battle begins. I DO NOT look forward to it. It is never-ending until about December. The bane of my garden. Okay... I'll quit griping (for now).
:-)
Meems

NanaK said...

Oh no, Penny! I haven't seen them in my garden yet. Last year they destroyed so much. I don't see my neighbors out gardening so I think I get all their hatchlings coming over to my yard. I don't like to use pesticides but lubbers drive me over the edge. I may pick up some Sevin to use on those babies.

Terra Mirabilis said...

@Anonymous: They're plaguing most Florida yards, as far as I can tell. I have a hypothesis that very cold winters, like last year's, and the short but intense cold snap this year, encourage them. Maybe because the cold weather discourages predators?

@Meems: How nice to have neighbors looking out for each other. (I have lovely neighbors, but none is really into gardening.) I spent years being vigilant in the early spring, which paid off because I'm usually lubber-free. However, I found two adults last year.

@Nana: Look for the nymphs close by their favorite plants (crinums!). If they're not actually eating, they're usually clustered on another plant nearby.

Good luck, everyone!

Masha said...

They don't look too pretty. I don't think I know what they are. Good luck taking care of your garden.

Terra Mirabilis said...

Hello, Masha. They become very large grasshoppers, found throughout much of the southeastern US. Actually, the adults are quite beautiful because they're yellow, black and have bright, bright pink wings. If only they didn't like bulbs ...

James David said...

They are really look like grasshoppers but none in green. strange - never seen any of them in my place.
Guess these don't survive too well with many predators around.
Did you manage to get rid of them??

Terra Mirabilis said...

Hey, James. These will become very big grasshoppers, and nobody here likes them! I'm sure you have plenty of insects that do damage that we don't get. Just be glad you don't have these!

dejinah said...

Get them while they're young. Last year I saw droves of them and left them be, thinking they were harmless. What was I thinking??? I have hundreds of giant dutch amaryllis that are apparently lubber caviar. They devastated them last year. Just saw the first hatching here & I ran inside to put my lubber war paint on.

Terra Mirabilis said...

LOL, Dejinah! Yes, lubbers salivate over anything in the Amaryllidaceae family. My crinums are the first choice, but at this time of the year I patrol the garden looking for the nymphs. Good luck with your war!

mrbrownthumb said...

Oh wow, that is creepy!

BTW, I've been trying to find your blog since the last time you commented on the MBT blog and Blogger kept telling me your blog had been deleted when I clicked on the link.

Just saw you comment on Garden Bloggers and am glad your blog is still here.

Terra Mirabilis said...

Hi, MBT. I'm still here! I don't know why that happens, but it's very annoying.

Yes, lubbers are creepy. Literally. Then they get jumpy. Still, they probably don't do as much damage as those bunnies in Millennium Park. :-D