Tag: Schistocerca gregaria

The Unique Challenges of Responding to Desert Locust Outbreaks

The recent plague of desert locusts in Africa and the Middle East cost $1.3 billion in damage in 23 countries. A report from Pakistan describes the difficult logistical and social hurdles to adequately managing this fast-moving entomological threat.

Entomology Today January 11, 2022 1 Comment

Swarm Shift: How Locusts Switch Phases When Numbers Swell

After swarms of the South American locust Schistocerca cancellata reappeared in 2015 for the first time in 60 years, a study on what drives their swarm behavior finds the insects' population density acts as a trigger for a slew of biological and behavioral changes at the individual level.

Can a Swarm of Locusts Really Block Out the Sun?

We know the moon can do it, but what about a swarm of locusts? On Monday, August 21, 2017, denizens of North America will look skyward to witness a solar […]