[Eric Vinje]

Hi Sharon –

Semaspore Grasshopper Bait is pet safe and will not harm your dogs. Containing Nosema locustae as the active ingredient, this biological agent is only toxic to grasshoppers, killing about half those in the hatching area, and infecting most of the remainder. These infected survivors (which eat little and lay few and infected eggs) are necessary to infect new hatchlings and migrants, through cannibalism — this provides the persistent protection. The disease also carries-over to the next year via the infected egg cases and infected cadavers which overwinter.

Infected grasshoppers develop a very large number of the spores within them, so that the cannibalizing grasshoppers get a much greater dose than from the initial Semaspore application. Consequently, the disease acts faster on the cannibalizers. Also, when Semaspore is used, dead grasshoppers aren’t often seen — they’re eaten too quickly by the survivors. Instead, Semaspore effectiveness is evidenced by the steady decrease in grasshopper numbers, and by some infected, weak survivors which aren’t doing damage.

If pest numbers are high, we recommend making smaller, more frequent applications of Semaspore. The bait infects at least 90 species of grasshoppers, the black field cricket, and some other crickets and locusts. However, it is completely non-toxic to anything else, not affecting humans, pets, and the over 250 natural grasshoppers enemies.

Hope it helps!

[Author]

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