The American grasshopper, Schistocerca americana americana (Drury)

The American grasshopper, sometimes known as a “bird grasshopper,” ranges throughout the eastern United States to the Great Plains, and south to Mexico. It is closely related to the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal)) of Africa and the Middle East, but does not have a true swarming phase like the African species. The American grasshopper is common in Florida, especially in the drier habitats, but is rarely an economic pest. Occasionally, populations increase tremendously and can inflict severe damage in localized areas (Kuitert and Connin 1952, Griffiths and Thompson 1952). In May 1991 very high populations were reported in parts of an approximately 52,000-acre area in Pasco and Hernando counties, where they were seriously damaging several thousand acres of citrus.