Khon Kaen Villagers Hunt Grasshoppers After Dark
Villagers in Khon Kaen's Ban Non Tun hunt grasshoppers at night using headlamps and simple tools, selling the protein-rich insects for extra income during peak harvest season.
Reporter Ekapong Phutha from Khon Kaen News visited Ban Non Tun village in Muang district, Khon Kaen province, where residents hunt grasshoppers after sunset along roadsides, abandoned spaces, and densely grassed agricultural plots during the insects' active feeding and resting period.
The hunters use minimal equipment: a headlamp to search in darkness and a punctured plastic bottle fitted below rubber boots to collect captured grasshoppers, with the boots protecting against stepping on sharp debris. Once a grasshopper is spotted clinging to grass, hunters quickly hand-catch it and place it in the bottle.
Resident Attit Panthuchinakun, 37, noted that these are pa thang kha grasshoppers, most abundant during the rainy season when abundant young grass provides natural food, triggering breeding and nocturnal foraging.
After capture, the grasshoppers are cleaned and prepared by frying, salt-roasting, or making into traditional dishes like fried grasshoppers or bamboo shoot curry—popular folk foods valued for their flavor, crispiness, and high protein content.
During years with large harvests, residents sell surplus grasshoppers to neighbors at 40 baht per handful, providing supplementary income.
