![FULL FLIGHT: Grasshoppers west of Charters Towers could become a bigger issue for landholders if not dealt with in the early stages. Photo: Samantha Walton. FULL FLIGHT: Grasshoppers west of Charters Towers could become a bigger issue for landholders if not dealt with in the early stages. Photo: Samantha Walton.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/V98HfE2tBQbBkJnZeaDKMw/d72215d4-453d-4ab8-80c9-5405f1914c4b.JPG/r979_0_5184_2557_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Landholders around Charters Towers have been advised to ground spray in an attempt to control an outbreak of yellow-winged grasshopper.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
The native species returned to the region for the third year in a row due to favourable weather conditions.
A Biosecurity Queensland spokesperson said local landholders needed to work together to control the outbreak.
“The grasshoppers at present are in low numbers and can be targeted through ground spraying with agricultural chemicals,” he said.
“When they reach high population densities the hoppers band together and adult swarms can form and lay eggs in dense egg beds. The time to act is now.”
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has worked with the Charters Towers Regional Council and the Dalrymple Landcare Group to use a misting machine to assist landholders in control of yellow-winged grasshoppers on their properties.
![BRIGHT COLOUR: The yellow-winged grasshopper is a localised species and not prone to significant migration. Photo: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. BRIGHT COLOUR: The yellow-winged grasshopper is a localised species and not prone to significant migration. Photo: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/V98HfE2tBQbBkJnZeaDKMw/d4d231d4-39bb-4c93-864e-e513851c9e48.jpg/r0_0_1000_609_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)