Locust Infestations

Locust infestations refer to massive swarms of locusts that come to an area and devastate its vegetation. Swarms have been measured to be as large as 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers). Locusts consume their own weight in food in a day, and these huge swarms usually wipe out all vegetation in an area. The swarms are thick enough to resemble clouds as they fly over and can fly up to 100 miles per day. Although locusts have been partially controlled in recent years, major infestations still occur and are a cause of famine in underdeveloped countries.

Locusts are one phase of several species of grasshoppers (not all grasshoppers become locusts). Scientists have discovered that, although these grasshoppers are usually solitary, as food supplies in an ...