Join the crowd of Florida gardeners doing battle with the large lubber grasshoppers. They started off small and black in the spring, then grew to the three-to-four-inch-long yellow and brown monsters.

Immature eastern lubber grasshoppers are almost completely black in color with a yellow, orange or red stripe. Adult females grow about 3 inches while males reach about 2 inches. Their bodies are ...

The adult eastern lubber grasshopper is one of the most intimidating insects due to its large size and distinct colors. At maturity, males and females reach 2 1/2 to 3 inches long, respectively.

The yellow/orange lubbers you see are common, but they can also be mostly yellow or as dark as black in developing stages. Of course, the yellow lubbers are the easiest to spot.

The large, brightly colored Eastern lubber grasshopper is hard to miss. Its bright orange, yellow and red colors are a warning to predators that it contains toxins that will make it sick.

Young grasshoppers, called nymphs, are shiny black with either a yellow or orange streak on the back. Unlike other grasshopper species which are winged and agile, the lubber can’t fly.

“They look like big ugly critters,” said John Ryan, who lives in DeBary. “Black and yellow.” Ryan’s perspective isn’t exactly neutral — nor does he try to hide it.