Grasshoppers - should I control or let them be?

At least 50 grasshoppers in my garden this morning.  I've been seeing them all year, but they have recently exploded.  Don't seem to be doing a huge amount of damage, so I'm tempted to let the situation be and see if a predator moves in.  But should I be worried I'm going to find my potato and rhubarb plants decimated one morning?  I have these 2 products on hand and am wondering if I should use them.
https://pureagproducts.com/products/pureag-biologic-army

and

PureAg Dream Neem: made from plant based fatty acids - see attached photo

PureAg Biologic Army is a unique combination of predatory bacteria and parasitic fungi. Bacillus thuringiensis is a natural occurring, soil-borne bacteria used for natural insect control. It consists of a spore, which gives it persistence, and a protein crystal within the spore, which is toxic. When the bacteria is consumed by certain insects, the toxic crystal is released in the insects highly alkaline gut, blocking the system which protects the pest’s digestive system. The stomach is penetrated, and the insect dies by poisoning from the stomach contents and the spores themselves. This same mechanism makes BT harmless to birds, fish and mammals whose acidic gut conditions negate the bacteria’s effect.

Have you looked into grasshopper traps or diatomaceous earth? Diatomaceous earth is easier to find in my area and does not need a lot of equipment to use.

I've had the proverbial plague of grasshoppers and seen the damage. If I saw 50 I would get out the scissors and start chopping them- just one can destroy a lot. Then again, it sort of depends what you have to lose. Potato leaves, maybe not a big deal. They always seem to go directly for my tomatoes and passionfruit.

I haven't had a huge amount of luck with the neem based products, although that is literally the only organic product I have access to. I think just my presence outside spraying something each day probably does more to chase the bugs away than the actual substance. But I still keep doing it....
The BT stuff, from what I understand, is only effective against caterpillars, if it's the same one we have here.

You could always eat them before they eat your plants, if you're concerned. They're tasty, but you have to cook them. And make sure it isn't one of the few poisonous species.

these notes by FrancesMichaels of Green Harvest Seeds are useful...Organic Strategies for Grasshopper Control © Frances Michaels

Regardless of where you live in Australia, the noise of crickets and grasshoppers is one of the background sounds of hot summer nights. The 'song' is produced by the male to attract a mate. Crickets, grasshoppers and locusts, as a group of insects, are distinguished by strong chewing mouthparts and enlarged hind-legs designed for jumping.
Crickets are usually nocturnal. Some species, like the tree cricket, are predatory, while others, like the mole cricket, feed on roots and burrow in the soil.
Grasshoppers are divided into short and long horned, with the 'horns' referring to the length of antennae. In long-horned grasshoppers the antennae are longer than the body. Long-horned grasshoppers are large, mainly plant eaters and often nocturnal. Short-horned grasshoppers, including the locusts, are active during the day.
The name locust is given to species that can occur in swarms. This includes the Australian plague locust, which has a black patch at the tip of the hind-wing and some scarlet on the hind-legs.
Not all grasshoppers are plant-eaters; surprisingly some are predatory with front legs adapted for grasping prey. Check before you accidentally squash a 'garden helper' by looking for spiny front legs.
Grasshopper eggs are mainly laid in the soil, although some do lay eggs on leaves. The eggs lay dormant until it rains, sometimes for years. Once hatched and if conditions are right, the next generation can be produced within a month.
Crickets, grasshoppers and locusts attack a wide range of plants, but it is in inland areas where the major impact is felt.

The Basics
Grasshoppers
Suggested Organic Strategies:
Attract them to a pond or children's wading pool by floating pieces of yellow plastic in the water. Smaller traps can be made out of yellow buckets filled with water and a 10% molasses solution. Cover with a film of oil to deter bees and mosquitoes
Get up early in the morning when they are very slow moving, handpick them or catch them in a butterfly net
Cover plants with an exclusion fabric; it will also protect plants from other pests like fruit flies and caterpillars
Birds are a major control, including domestic varieties such as chooks and guinea fowl
Beneficial insects such as tachinid flies and parasitic wasps prey on grasshoppers. Plant a Good Bug Mix to provide a food source for the adult predators.

Biological Controls
Grasshoppers
The most important natural enemies of grasshoppers are birds. In inland areas the ibis is particularly important as a control for locusts. As a result the draining of wetlands can increase locust plagues. You can attract birds to your garden by providing a source of water and safe nesting sites, free from predators and with privacy. Many small, insect-eating birds nest in the shrub layer rather than the tops of trees. Preferred nesting sites are dense plantings of native shrubs, especially prickly ones, in out-of-the-way corners of the garden. Make sure there are perches such as trellises or posts scattered throughout where birds can sit and watch for insect prey.
Water is an essential element to improve biological control. Small ponds encourage useful predators such as frogs and dragonflies, which need water to breed. Frogs are very active nocturnal animals that devour large numbers of pests.
Chickens not only like eating grasshoppers, but seem to get a lot of entertainment catching them too! Keen gardeners in inland areas should consider designing a chicken run with a shared fence between the chook run and vegetable garden for as much of the garden perimeter as possible. This can reduce the fencing needed and create a 'Fort Knox' style vegetable or flower garden as far as grasshoppers are concerned.
Guinea fowl are hardy birds which eat large numbers of grasshoppers and ticks. Although their noisiness makes them unsuitable for urban areas, they could be a big help on larger properties.
Other creatures that prey on grasshoppers include lizards, spiders and predatory carabid and rove beetles. These can be encouraged by providing shelter such as rocks and hollow logs. Small rock cairns can look decorative in the garden and perform a valuable function of refuge for these predators. Baby grasshoppers hatch in spring and early summer from eggs hidden just below the soil surface. As they like to hide in dense areas of vegetation, they can easily become prey for hungry predators.
Beneficial insects such as paper wasps, tachnid flies and parasitic wasps prey on grasshoppers. Robber flies are a major predator of grasshoppers, (up to a third of their diet). Habitat, such as a border of perennial plants, needs to be available all year round as a refuge for these predators. Growing flowering plants in the garden or orchard as a pollen and nectar source helps to maintain a population of these beneficial insects. Suitable insectary plants include clover, buckwheat, mustard, Queen Anne's lace, parsnip, daikon, alyssum, dill, coriander, cosmos and phacelia. Seed mixes of insectary plants are available commercially such as Good Bug Mix or Bed and Breakfast Seed Mix.
There are a range of naturally occurring parasitic fungi species that attack and kill grasshoppers. These include: Nosema locustae, Beauveria spp., Lecanicillium spp. and Metarhizium spp.
Physical and Cultural Controls
As a variation on the old adage 'the early bird catches the worm', this is also a good strategy with grasshoppers. Catching them in the early morning is relatively easy, as they are less active in the mornings, especially after a cool night. Either catch them by hand or use a butterfly net.
Some gardeners use a border of tall, green grass around the outside of the garden to trap grasshoppers and (hopefully) divert them from vegetables or flowers. It only works if the trap crop is left un-mowed and doesn't dry out.
Digging or cultivating in spring, and leaving the soil exposed, can expose the eggs to predators.
Physical barriers such as floating row covers or mosquito netting work very well for early-season protection. This will also protect your plants from other pests like fruit flies and caterpillars. Sometimes exclusion is a lot of work initially but saves heaps of effort over time.
The colour yellow is meant to be attractive to grasshoppers, so there are various ways this can be used to trap them. Long sticky tape traps are commercially available. Dams, ponds, or children's paddling pools can be used to drown grasshoppers by floating pieces of yellow plastic in the water, or suspending it from bamboo just above the water. Fish will happily eat the grasshoppers, or they could be collected and fed to chooks. You can try 'planting' a yellow bucket in the vege garden. Leave around 6 cm of yellow plastic showing above the mulch. The grasshoppers are attracted to the colour and will jump in but can't climb back out. Fill the bucket with water and a 10% molasses solution, cover the water with a film of canola oil to deter bees and mosquitoes.
Least Toxic Chemical Controls
Canola oil has been found to be a grasshopper attractant, and can be used to make baits more attractive to grasshoppers - as with the above example. It could also be combined with organic insecticides to make them more effective, and floated as an oil on top of water traps.
Insecticidal potassium soap sprays such as Natrasoap work best on small grasshoppers.
Neem is a botanical insecticide made from extracts of the neem tree. Eco-Neem is a registered organic spray that controls a wide range of insects including grasshoppers. It works in multiple ways with the two main actions being suppression of insect appetite (they starve to death) and restricting growth (unable to moult successfully). It is approved in Australia for use on ornamental plants only but would be particularly useful sprayed on a trap crop of tall, lush grass.
Pyrethrum insecticides are effective as a grasshopper control but also may kill beneficial insects. Spraying in the early morning or late afternoon will help to reduce the impact on non-target insects.
Nutri-Life Myco-Force™ is available from Nutri-Tech Solutions as a probiotic to assist in the recovery of previously affected insect damaged plants. It contains naturally-occurring, bio-balancing fungal species including: Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Lecanicillium lecanii.
Make up a chilli spray as a repellent - see Home Made Chilli Spray box, below.
Commercial Growers
Organic farmers can take advantage of a biological control for locusts and grasshoppers based on a naturally occurring fungus Metarhizium. This breakthrough has meant that preventative control by the Plague Locust Commission can take place in environmentally sensitive areas without the problems caused by pesticide residues. It is marketed as Green Guard® but is not currently available in Australia in home garden size packs.
Home Made Chilli Spray
Blend together half a cup of fresh chillies with 2 cups of water. Add a dash of dishwashing liquid to improve sticking. If you have no chillies substitute with 2 tablespoons of Tabasco sauce. Always spray a small section of the plant to check for leaf burn. Check in 24 hours and if there is no damage spray as needed. Leaf burn with any spray is more likely to occur during hot weather.
website   http://greenharvest.com.au/PestControlOrganic/Information/GrasshopperControl.html

I have checked out DE sites and they seem to mention  everything crawly but not grasshoppers... although I do remember reading somewhere but can't find now ...that when mixed with water and sprayed on to leaf/plants surfaces and allowed to dry it can be effective for everything... some consideration is required with respect to what it can do to beneficial insects...
https://havegarden.com/diatomaceous-earth-beneficial-insects/  ... "Is Diatomaceous Earth safe for beneficial insects?
No, Diatmoaceous Earth is not safe for beneficial insects. It can’t and doesn’t differentiate between beneficial and harmful insects.
For instance, Diatomaceous earth kills Ladybugs, Bees, Beneficial nematodes, Butterflies, Praying mantis etc. if they come in contact with it..."

Alison, I/we have no idea what part of the world you're in. Can you give us a clue? It helps when trying to give advice.

Harvest and eat them fried or roasted. Check maybe the species, if edible, but normally if colours are not too bright/colourful, it is safe, but make sure to check it. In Thailand they were affected by a huge plaque of grasshoppers on their maize fields in an area where the local normally didn't  eat insects, and the government asked them to harvest and eat them, and now, besides from having acquired a new habit, they are making more money by selling the grasshoppers than the maize itself. Grasshoppers are a delicacy and people pay quite a bit of money for them, and not only in Asia.

I have a million grasshoppers and they don't seem to be destroying anything. Is that normal? What should I be looking for?

(I don't really know how to count the grasshoppers, a million is obviously hyperbole, but I have so many that being worried about fifty seems a little comical.)

Or maybe they're why almost none of my carrots have come up?

I know I have "good" grasshoppers too. I only worry when I see a grasshopper on a plant with obvious leaf damage nearby. Here there are certain types that I know eat my plants, and others that don't. I also get the younger individuals of the ones that will grow up to eat my plants; they stay together in fleets and either I kill them or relocate them (they are super cute, so it's usually the latter).

I am located in Driggs, ID (Rocky Mountains).  Thank you SO much everyone for all the information!!!  Super helpful.  I didn't think about eating them.  I'll have to look more into that.  If I'm too grossed out, at least they would be good for my compost pile.  Right?  And I just noticed yesterday evening that my newly sprouted carrots have been munched down  (right in the area when the grasshoppers are located).

Maybe these grasshoppers are rare/endangered? Probably not, lol, but now even grasshoppers get their own protection/rewilding project, in the UK,  the "A Hop for Hope" initiative is working to reintroduce the large marsh grasshopper:

https://rewildingeurope.com/news/invertebrate-rewilding-initiative-joins-the-european-rewilding-network/?utm_source=Rewilding+Europe&utm_campaign=d62b0319c5-Newsletter+July+2021&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_93ce604f38-d62b0319c5-237108325

I've got millions of the little hoppers like in your photo. Every step I take in grass sends a few dozen jumping in every direction. Never had any problems with plant damage. Have you seen them actually eat your garden plants?

Came across this thread while searching for an efficient way to catch a few hundred for winter chicken treats. We just moved to the midwest last year, just ending the first season in our home. There have been grasshoppers everywhere since June. Some are small, some are huge. In the beginning I was really concerned for my plants but noticed they seem to like the taller grasses more than anything. I haven't seen any actively eating anything except some Comfrey that happened to be in an island of  tall wheat. Once I cut the wheat there they left the comfrey alone too.

My theory is they become detrimental when there is just not enough food around maybe crossed with a population explosion? One or both even. I'm sure in areas that direct sow in early spring they may be an issue. Next year I plan to create grasshopper rows on the outskirts of my chicken run area. It will be the only tall grassy area in the space. Each day I'll walk by on the outside and chase a few into the run for the birds.

For now I hope to use a trough like trap I've seen for human food collection on Youtube. After hunting the www. this morning I haven't found a better looking idea. I'm going to use bent roofing metal and some nice ripe wheat stalks as bait.

This time of year in my neck of the woods, the large grasshoppers are eating & breeding.  The crickets are also about full grown by now.  I don't know if you like to go fishing with kids, but I would use them for bait to catch a nice meal.  It will wear them out, give everyone nice memories, & full bellies all at the same time.  

We don't see many around our yard and I'm very curious why. I obviously don't want them to decimate my garden but I always liked running around and catching them as a kid. Maybe it's the abundance of wasps and birds we have...?

They are a nightmare here this year. They eat everything and they are too quick to catch. I would probably need a couple hundred chickens free ranging my 80 acres to control them. I think that it was our wet, cold spring. I can't believe that I'm saying this but I'm hoping for a warm spring next year.

Jenny Wright wrote:We don't see many around our yard and I'm very curious why. I obviously don't want them to decimate my garden but I always liked running around and catching them as a kid. Maybe it's the abundance of wasps and birds we have...?

I don't know. We have more birds than I could have imagined. Maybe it's because of the grasshoppers?

When I was younger we had a neighbor who was Korean and we used to catch grasshoppers for her and she would fry them in oil and they were really good. Sounds weird I know.

Nooooooo!!! Stop!  How would you feel if you were a sweet grasshopper just trying to get a snack and your precious little alkaline gut was poisoned and you died a painful death???!!!  Try mixing 6.7 ml of garlic oil to one liter of water.