PINE ISLAND, Fla. - A troublesome insect threatens plant and animal life. The eastern lubber grasshopper bugs people on the island.
"They're really a big nuisance," said Dave Grueser, as he mowed his lawn in Pine Island.
Pest control professionals tell 4 In Your Corner the eastern lubbers are common in states along the east coast. The grasshopper's population swells from April until September, but this year, a warm February caused an early start to their season.
The eastern lubber grows to be more than 3 to 4 inches in length.
"They get huge. They're one of the biggest grasshoppers you'll find in the United States," said Ivan Starkey, from Fort Myers Pest Control in North Fort Myers.
The eastern lubber is not only a large insect, but it is hard to kill and control.
"They're extremely hard to fight, even in pest control," Starkey said. "Lizards and birds don't like them because they have a toxic taste," he added.
The Pine Island Feed and Garden Center has received calls from people who want more grasshopper bait.
"I ordered the nolo grasshopper bait," said Mike Gerner, the owner of Pine Island Feed and Garden Center.
The organic bait helps regulate the number of eggs a female eastern lubber can hatch. Typically, females lay a few pods that could hold as many as 150 eggs. The organic feed shuts down the female's reproductive process.
However, the baits do have a limit to their effectiveness.
"Baits do work, but there's a problem with them," Starkey said. "If there's something more important to them to eat, like vegetation, they are going to eat that."
