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Twostriped Grasshopper

Melanoplus bivittatus[4]

The twostriped grasshopper is a large garden grasshopper with two pale yellow stripes running from the head to the wing tips.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Orthoptera
Family
Acrididae
US records
42 states
Sources
4 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Twostriped grasshopper with pale stripes along its back on pavement
Twostriped grasshopper with pale stripes along its back on pavement. Photo: Paul Manning, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, yellow-green to brown with olive green on top.[1]
  • Two light yellow stripes run the length of the body along the sides near the top, from the head to the tips of the wings.[1][2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Red-legged grasshopperReddish-brown with yellow undersides and red hind legs instead of two pale stripes.[2]
Differential grasshopperYellowish to olive green with black chevrons on the hind leg.[2]

Where it lives

Colorado State calls it often the most common grasshopper damaging gardens; it also occurs in Minnesota and North Carolina.[1][2][3]

US map: public records from 42 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Nymphs are active from early May to early July and adults from early June to September in Minnesota.[1]

It migrates into gardens from empty lots, roadsides and other undisturbed sites, and often hatches a few weeks later than many grasshoppers.[3]

Grasshoppers lay eggs in pods in soil, and prolonged dry springs over several years can sharply increase their numbers.[1][3]

Damage and signs

  • It chews leaves, pods and other parts of most garden plants, especially beans, leafy vegetables, iris and corn.[1]
  • It is usually not a problem, but high populations can defoliate plants, mostly in late summer when other food is scarce.[1]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1]

Control

Prevention

Watch weedy lots, roadsides and other undisturbed sites nearby, where grasshoppers develop before moving into gardens.[3]

Biological control

Nosema locustae bait infects only young grasshoppers and works slowly, as part of a long-term program.[3]

Pesticides

Sprays or baits work best on young grasshoppers near egg-laying sites; on migrating adults, treating plants has limited effect and repeat applications may be needed.[2][3]

Common questions

Where do all these grasshoppers come from?
Twostriped grasshoppers often move into gardens from nearby empty lots, roadsides and undisturbed areas.[3]
Why are grasshoppers worse some years?
Several years of dry springs can greatly increase grasshopper numbers.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Minnesota Extension (What insect is this?), “Twostriped grasshopper.” apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/insect/garden/beetles/large/tstripedghopper.html (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. NC State Extension, “Grasshoppers on Ornamental Plants (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/grasshoppers-on-ornamental-plants (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. Colorado State University Extension, “Grasshopper Control in Gardens and Small Acreages (Fact Sheet 5.536).” extension.colostate.edu/resource/grasshopper-control-in-gardens-and-small-acreages/ (accessed 2026-10-16)
  4. iNaturalist, “Melanoplus bivittatus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1266323 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.