Fall Grasshopper

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 5:38 pm

Walking thru the weeds in the Fall, I encounter a lot of grasshopper carcasses clinging to the plants. This particular one caught my eye a little more for some reason. I'm not sure how his life ended, but he sure seems to be at peace now.

Mike B in OKlahoma · Post by **Mike B in OKlahoma** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:30 pm

RIP grasshopper!

His abdomen and thorax were treated rather gruesomely, I hope it was AFTER he was gone!

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:43 am

Nice shot Craig - you sure it's dead?

Bruce

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:48 am

WOW

Cordyceps Craig, an excellent example of how it affect grasshoppers. Great image!

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:51 am

Pretty freaky IMO. I don`t know Ken...that looks like part of the dried flower in the back.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:55 am

Yeah probably is Doug, your right but I would imagine it is still Cordyceps that has cause the demise of the hoppers, since Craig remarked that there were plenty of the carcasses everywhere. Apologies for jumping the gun

I got Cordyceps on the brain now, ever since finding that one grasshopper here that was infected.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:11 am

It is the first thing I thought of when I first looked at the picture. It will be interesting to see how early it shows up in the spring & summer. We will see who gets the first case of the "DREADED CORDYCEPS"

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:27 pm

Hey there guys, you really got my curiousity on this Cordyceps

. I had to look it up as I wasn't familiar with it. If this is the fungus that leaves long white fungi like pointy elements shooting out of the insect then I don't think it was what caused the death of the grasshoppers.

The grasshoppers were brown, sometimes hollowed or rotten, and clinging to the tops of weeds almost as if they climbed up there to die. Is this a common phenomena in the Fall? I don't remember seeing it happen earlier in the year and I didn't see any signs of parasitic insect involvement.

You did trigger a thought related to the Amazon trip, though. I have a pic or 2 of some insects that may be overcome by this Cordyceps that you are referring to. I will let you be the judge tomorrow. Thanks.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:58 pm

Craig wrote:

The grasshoppers were brown, sometimes hollowed or rotten, and clinging to the tops of weeds almost as if they climbed up there to die. Is this a common phenomena in the Fall? I don't remember seeing it happen earlier in the year and I didn't see any signs of parasitic insect involvement.

That is the trademark of Cordyceps. It seems or appears to attack the central nervous system of the insect, compelling it to climb to a sufficent height above the ground (hence the name "Summit Disease") for the effective dispersal of spores from the stroma. The hoppers you encountered in the fall, probably have been there for some time, sort of like the ants and the hopper I posted here sometime back. They too were, at least the grasshopper was I know, hollow. I believe this is due to the fungi decomposing or using up the the innards as nutrient and leaving the exoskeleton empty. I never found my specimens until about mid winter, that is when I noticed them by accident and they too were quite weathered and missing anatomical appendages.

cactuspic · Post by **cactuspic** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:23 pm

Good shot Craig.

Ken, how can I spread this fungus to the eating machines that like to gnaw on my cacti (invariably the rarest).

Irwin

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:56 pm

Good question Irwin.

These fungi are a biological pest control agent and have been used successfully in peoples gardens from what I have read about them. Cordyceps can be ordered on-line for both biological pest control and as a human nutritional supplement

No kidding, people swallow these things.

Cordyceps, wild ones, not those cultivated in the laboratory, are really high dollar per pound, around a $1000.00US per lb. I think but don't hold me to that.

You might want to research Cordyceps on the internet, Google Images, so that you will know what to look for when spring arrives. They do grow on your lawn and just about everywhere else. Once you find them, they grow very low to the ground, dig them up gently and you will probably find a caterpillar at the base of them or maybe some other insect. The caterpillar was the host for the fungi. There are over a thousand species of Cordyceps though and each is particularly atuned to a certain insect.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:06 pm

Irwin, make sure you do a search on our forum for "Summit Disease" and
Cordyceps. You should find a lot Kens` post on the subject and his fantastic pictures he posted. Mine is in the old forums.