How do you eradicate a devil's horse?

Question

Some kind of HUGE grasshopper that plagues my area.It is black and red and nothing eats it.

Answer 1

Those seem to be lubber grasshoppers. Nothing is eating it because it is toxic! Here is some helpful advice from University of Florida, but I'm afraid it is not such good news:

"The size of the eastern lubber grasshopper is a little misleading when one considers they require far less food material than most of the more injurious species of grasshoppers that are only one-third as large or smaller.

Lubbers lend themselves to a non-chemical control method. The eastern lubber grasshopper rarely occurs in high enough numbers to cause significant damage to gardens and ornamentals. In most cases the homeowner can easily rid oneself of any individual lubbers by hand. Lubbers are large, slow moving, and essentially harmless to humans. All that would be necessary to rid the area of any pests is a small net or homemade smashing device (such as a broom.) Armed with a net and garbage bag one should be able minimize any potential damage within minutes. If chemical control is necessary, there are several insecticides registered for use on ornamentals, fruits, and vegetables to control grasshoppers. For specific recommendations refer to the Florida Insect Management Guide.

Grasshoppers are much easier to control when they are nymphs. As they mature, and grow larger, higher rates of toxicants must be applied for effective control."

If you go to the link, there are several links there to places with chemical control ideas, it seems. Good luck!

Answer 2

Devil Horse Grasshopper

Answer 3

Borrow a cat. A cat, if nothing else will toy with it to death. My cat will not leave anything alone outside. I don't care how many times he gets scolded, he still drags dead, half eaten creatures up to the doorstep. I read somewhere that, that is a thank you type gesture that cats do to say they love you! Good luck!