Lubber Grasshoppers

Now is the time of  year to be on the lookout for lubber grasshopper nymphs. The eggs that were laid by adult females last summer are now beginning to hatch. The nymphs are black with a yellow/orange strip running down their back and are about ½ long. As they emerge from the soil they will stay grouped together for a day or two before spreading out to various landscape plants. Their favorite plants are various type of lilies, but they will feed on most plants in the typical landscape. They grow quickly and by June/July will reach an adult size of three inches or so. They cannot fly well as they have shortened wings so they kind of crawl, hop and beat their wings. They can move around surprisingly well

Lubber grasshopper nymphs just
emerged from the soil

They usually are not present in large numbers, but during certain years specific locations can experience very large and damaging numbers. Several years ago there was a heavy infestation south of I-4 along State Road 557 and 557a. These large grasshoppers consumed most of the plants in homeowner landscapes along 557a. Fortunately numbers declined after a year or two and have not again reached those huge numbers. During that same time Infestations in the south and central part of Polk County were relatively small.


When they reach adulthood in early to mid-summer, insecticide sprays are not effective. At the moment they are just beginning to hatch and emerge from the soil. For the next few weeks homeowners need to be watchful and spray these emerging nymphs with either Seven or Ortho Max Bug-Be-Gone Insecticide with bifenthrin. If you choose not to spray, pick up the nymphs and  and dispose of them. They are not very fast and can be caught by hand and dropped in a jar of soapy water where they will sink and drown. The adult are also pretty easy to catch and can be killed by hand or foot. Make sure you carefully look over your plants regularly for these pests. Be sure to track down and kill any that you see in your landscape.





 
 
 






Cottonmouth Snakes

Juvenile Cottonmouth Snake

Most people are familiar with adult Cottonmouth snakes which occur in every Florida County and are quite venomous. Young or juvenile Cottonmouths are marked with broad, splotched bands that fade with age, and have tails tipped with mustard yellow. Juveniles may be misidentified as Copperheads which are only found in Florida in a small area of the panhandle. Their thick body is reddish brown to dark gray-brown; older individuals may be nearly solid black - typically what most people see in the wild. Dark bands run from each eye to the corners of the jaw. When threatened, it may coil and open its mouth wide, showing the cottony white interior. This snake gives birth to live young and does not lay eggs as is true of other venomous snakes in Florida.


They are usually found in or near aquatic habitats including ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, canals, ditches, cypress swamps, wet prairies, and brackish costal marshes. They may be especially abundant in areas where wading birds congregate. They are occasionally encountered in upland habitats away from water. They feed on fish, snakes, turtles, young alligators, birds (and their eggs), mice, rats, squirrels and rabbits.

Keep in mind that these venomous snakes, including Rattlesnakes, Cottonmouths and Coral snakes are all over the state of Florida and can end up in a home landscape. Most of the time snakes in home landscape are non-venomous. However, homeowners need to be prepared in the very unlikely event of an undesirable encounter with a venomous snake. Documents on dealing with venomous snakes can be found on Dr. Steve Johnson's website: http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/dealing_with_snakes.shtml

Brown Recluse Spiders Rare in Polk County

 

What do brown recluse spiders look like?  The males and females are about the same size.  The body, including the legs, is a little wider than a quarter dollar coin.  They have a series of markings on the head and thorax, which look like a violin with the base pointing toward the head.  The brown recluse has six eyes arranged in pairs.  The male Southern house spider is often confused with the brown recluse, as it has the violin coloration on the head and thorax; however, it has eight eyes all clumped together in the middle of the head rather than six. 

 

Another common spider found around the home is the brown widow, which is quite venomous.  However, it is not aggressive and seldom bites.  They are easily differentiated from the brown recluse because they have a yellow-red hourglass on the bottom side of the abdomen and the egg masses have spines sort of like those of a sand spur.

 

The brown recluse spider, Loxosceles recluse, is frequently reported in Florida as a cause of necrotic lesions in humans.  For example, in the year 2000 alone, the Florida Poison Control Center reported nearly 300 alleged brown recluse bites in the state.  Ninety-five of these bites were reported in Central Florida under the jurisdiction of the regional poison control center in Tampa.  As a matter of fact, a large number of brown recluse bites are reported every year in the Tampa area.  In addition, every year I have numerous clients here at the Polk County Extension Office who report to me that they have been bitten by brown recluse spiders.

 

In spite of all these reports of bites, not one brown recluse spider has been recovered in the Tampa Bay area, including Polk County, other than the Chilean brown recluse spider, which was found in a house in Winter Haven a few years ago.  Those spiders were believed to have come in with some building materials.

 

So, the question is what is causing the necrotic lesions in people in Florida, if it is not brown recluse spiders.  Brown recluse bites cause clear necrotic areas in the skin.  If an inflammatory core lesion exists, necrotizing infection should be anticipated, not a spider bite.

 

A number of other arthropods and an assortment of diseases, some caused by micro-organisms such as flesh-destroying bacteria, and some with other causes, are known to produce necrotic or apparent pre-necrotic wounds.  These wounds could be tick-induced, viral, bacterial, fungal or caused by a blood disorder, cancer, a reaction to drugs, chemical burns or an underlying disease such as diabetes.  Some wounds just can’t be explained.  For more information, visit my website at http://polkhort.ifas.ufl.edu and click on A-Z publications where you will find a circular entitled “The Brown Recluse Spider”.