Have You Noticed A Lot of Grasshoppers All Over Sioux Falls?

Before we felt the cool, crisp fall weather, the summer heat was embracing the Sioux Empire. Warm weather always attracts different insects including grasshoppers.

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It seems silly to point out a normal insect like grasshoppers. However, I've seen literally hundreds of them along the bike trails. I couldn’t figure out why there were so many of them hopping around the Sioux Empire this year. Believe it or not, there is actually an interesting reason why a lot more grasshoppers have been making their presence known in Sioux Falls.

Since we were in an extensive drought period last year as well as for part of 2022, individuals apparently are going to notice more grasshoppers. This growing grasshopper population is also pretty harmful to farms in South Dakota. Our friends at SDSU Extension explain, "Drought conditions exacerbate the grasshopper issue, as this pest will seek any plant material that is green during the growing season. In 2021, there were large populations of grasshoppers that caused issues in central and western South Dakota."  Who knew seeing grasshoppers in Sioux Falls were due to drought conditions?

According to SDSU Extension, there are more than one species of grasshopper that can be found in South Dakota. The one pictured is known as Differential Grasshopper which is pretty large for a grasshopper. SDSU Extension says these grasshoppers "vary in size from 1 1/8 to 1 ½ inches long. Their bodies are green to yellow in color, and they have black chevron markings on their hind legs."

Just in case you were curious about why there are so many grasshoppers in Sioux Falls and the Sioux Empire, there’s your scientific explanation!