Locust Pests

Locusts, the swarming short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae that can strip whole regions of crops and pasture. A pest belongs here when its cited article calls it a locust. Locusts differ from ordinary grasshoppers in that crowding changes their behaviour and body form, so that scattered insects become dense swarms that travel long distances and eat crops in their path. Monitoring and early warning of outbreaks, followed by targeted control, is the main defence. This heading gathers the locust species of the atlas so a visitor can compare their ranges.