Katydid Control: How to Get Rid of Katydids

This page is a general katydid control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of katydids. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of katydids.

By July, summer nights are filled with the loud noise of katydids, one of the most common and universal pests across the United States. Katydids, also called long-horned grasshopper or bush cricket, are a type of grasshopper that is often not seen because they usually stay among foliages where their green color protects them from predators.

While they may closely resemble grasshoppers they are more leaf-like in appearance. Generally, they feast on the leaves and fruits of plants although there are other species that eat other insects. In small numbers katydids are not considered an immediate threat, but when the population grows so does the risk of plant damage.

In growing foliage, katydids can stunt tree and other plant growth and even damage the fruit enough to the point of being uneatable or marketable. By following the steps and products listed in our DIY guide you can completely control katydid populations, which helps to lessen plant damages and insecticide application.

Identification

Before you can proceed with treatment, you will need to certain that you are facing a katydid infestation. Misidentification leads to using the wrong treatment method, which in turn leads to a waste of time and money. There are a thousands of katydid species worldwide, but only a few can be found in North America. Knowing what katydids look like aids in proper control and avoids confusion with other pests like grasshoppers which looks strikingly similar to this pest.

• Katydids are green-winged pests that are shaped like grasshoppers or crickets with their long-legs. The main difference between katydids and grasshoppers is their long, thin antennae which can be longer than their body. In contrast, the grasshopper antennae are short and thick. Katydids also have legs aligned with their body whereas crickets are arched and perpendicular with their body.
• Although they have wings with veins that are similar in appearance to tree leaves, the katydids cannot fly. With their wings, they can float downwards, crawl, or jump to travel.
• Adult katydids are always a vibrant green color, the nymphs take on the color of whatever they have been eating. During their nymph stage this could be orange, yellow, pink, but towards adulthood they will permanently remain bright green. Grasshoppers can be green too, but they can also be yellow, brown, and other colors, usually with a speckled pattern.
• Female katydids have long, pointed ovipositors that you may see extending past the wings. Grasshoppers, on the other hand, have shorter, blunt ovipositors.

Use the image and description above to properly identify katydids on your plants and around your property. If unsure, then contact us through email, phone, or stop by in-person at one of our store locations with a sample of the pest in sealable plastic container. By doing this we can assist in proper pest identification and suggest the appropriate treatment method.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed that the pest you are dealing with is katydids, you can then proceed with inspection. During this phase, you are determining where katydids are found and the conditions allowing it to thrive.

Where to Look

There are about 6,000 species of katydids and they can be found in every region of the world on trees, shrubs, bushes, or grasses in suburban or rural areas. Many katydids are the master of camouflage, often resembling leaves and trees in their environment.

The nymphs are known to do more damage than the adults since they tend to hang around one spot, whereas adult katydids will jump around more frequently. Also look for other insect activity, like aphids, as those are also prey for katydids.

What to Look For

Other than searching for them, the best way to determine if you have katydids is to listen for their chirps they make when they mate. To attract the opposite sex, these pests rub their wings together. Depending on the species, the sound they make sounds like swishy buzzes, rattles, shuffles, purrs, or drawn-out soft buzzing noise.

As omnivores, these pests can eat a variety of leaves, stems, or fruits of plants as well as other slow-moving insects like aphids or dead insects. Katydids are night-feeding pests that chew along the leafs edge as adults and in the middle of the leaf during their nymph stage, creating small holes.

Treatment

If you have confirmed katydids are infesting your plants then its time to begin treatment. Before beginning with any type of pesticide application, you will need to wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Though gentle, some katydids have been known to bite or pinch people when threatened so you will need to wear gloves.

Katydids are most effected by pyrethroid, spinosad, organophosate, or carbamate type insecticides. Female katydids deposit their eggs in soil, plant stems, or tree bark during June and July, and can overwinter to survive harsh winters. For this reason, we recommend you apply a residual insecticide from June to August as this is when adults will appear and begin to feed and produce another generation of pests.

Step 1: Trim Vegetation

During the day, katydids rest in overgrown areas such as shrubs, trees, and turfgrass. When night falls they will emerge and begin to feed on these sites. Due to this, you will need to clean up your yard and trim vegetation around your home to reduce the sites katydids may harbor in before making your pesticide applications. 

Eliminate their habitats and food source by mowing when turfgrass has reached 3 inches in height, then promptly dispose of grass clippings. Prune away overgrown stems, branches, and leaves of shrubbery and trees to limit hiding spots for katydids and deter pests they may feed upon. You will also need to rake any fallen leaf litter and pick up other plant debris.

Step 2: Spray Residual Insecticide

Katydids spend a majority of their lives in higher elevated spaces like trees for safety and food sources so to reach these sites, use a hose-end sprayer. 

Even if you cannot visibly see katydids you will need to spray the trees, shrubs, and turfgrass with a residual insecticide like Supreme IT during the day. Avoid making night time applications as the insecticide will not have enough time to dry. Supreme IT is a residual pyrethroid insecticide labeled to control over 70 types of pests in ornamental landscapes, trees, shrubs, turfgrass, non-bearing fruit and nut trees, and other terrains. When applied, it leaves a residual effect that will control treated areas for up to 90 days.

To treat katydids with Supreme IT, you will need to mix the product with water in a hose-end sprayer. Determine how much Supreme IT to use by measuring the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, measure the length and width of the treatment area in feet then multiply them together (length X width = square footage).

To treat ornamentals such as shrubs and trees, apply 10.8 to 21.7 fl. oz. of Supreme IT per 100 gallons of water. For broadcast treatments across lawns, use 0.25 to 0.5 fl. oz. of product per 1 gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft.

Apply your mixed solution over ornamentals and shrubbery, being sure to treat both the top and bottom of any leaves. Additionally, spray around any trees by spraying 3 feet up the trunk and several feet out. In order to reach the tree's branches or any other tall areas, you can remove the Solutions Hose End Sprayer tip for a powerful stream of solution.

Allow the treated areas to dry completely. Insects that make contact with the spray or its residual effect will have their nervous systems impacted and will die in several hours.

Prevention

After you have successfully eliminated katydids from your property, you will want to ensure these pests do not return. To prevent katydids, we suggest following the recommended practices to keep katydids away:

• To ensure katydids do not reinfest your property, keep up with routine lawn care and maintenance. Maintain your trees and shrubs, and continue to mow your lawn regularly when the grass grows too tall. Proper care will reduce the number of spots katydids have to hide in.
• Katydids are nocturnal pests that come towards your home when bright lights are present. Simply turn off porch lights and other outdoor fixtures to deter this pest. You may also want to consider installing a outdoor light trap.
• Using a residual insecticide like Supreme IT, regularly perform applications on a quarterly basis to repel katydids throughout the year.

Key Takeaways

What are Katydids?

• Katydids are invasive and noisy pests that feed on a variety of trees, shrubs, and turf.

How to Get Rid of Katydids

• To kill katydids around your home and plants is to eliminate overgrown vegetation by mowing and pruning. You will also need to apply Supreme IT to shrubs, trees, and turfgrass.

Prevent Katydid Reinfestation

• Keep up with on-going plant and turf maintenance throughout the year to deter hiding and food sources for katydids. Spray Supreme IT on a quarterly basis from June to July to prevent this pest.