How dangerous are locusts?
Even in the Bible, locusts are described as a dangerous plague. In huge swarms, the animals attack everything that is green and edible on their way. In doing so, they cause great famines. But did you know that the same terrible monsters also populate the earth as harmless variants?
Migratory locusts are not always dangerous. There are insects as solitary animals that are harmless, and as dangerous, swarm-forming variants. Only under certain conditions does a locust develop into a terrifying monster.
Way of life under normal conditions
- The term migratory locust includes various types of field locusts are able to form huge swarms and, as such, to form entire swathes of land devastate. The ten species populate all continents except arctic areas. The most common species is the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) that lives in Africa.
- The way of life of the animals is fascinating because you can observe two variants in the same animal. Under normal conditions, the single individual is harmless. The female of the desert locust lays 20 to 80 eggs in the ground, from which small larvae hatch and later the adult animals develop through multiple skins.
- In a habitat where the soil is dry and only a limited number of individuals develop, migratory locusts are contrary to theirs Names local beings. Like other grasshoppers, they live solitary and as isolated beings do no damage to the landscape. However, the female of the desert locust, for example, lays eggs several times a year and is therefore characterized by a high progeny.
- As soon as the conditions change, high levels of precipitation and high temperatures are often the order of the day Trigger, changes not only the behavior of the offspring, but also their appearance and Skills.
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Dangerous swarming when there are too many insects
- If, under ideal conditions, the numerous eggs hatch as many larvae, the animals develop differently than usual. As the food sources decrease, the larvae continue to concentrate. Frequent touching of the individuals triggers biochemical processes that cause the migratory locusts to grow longer wings. They are now darkly colored and come together in groups.
- The insects need several generations for the transition from the individually living phase to the formation of swarms. The two phases are referred to as the solitary and the gregarous phase.
- After a few generations, the individuals have completely adapted to life in the swarm. They eat and rest together and have largely synchronized their behavior. At first there are short flights that you can observe, later the whole swarm rises synchronously, the dimensions of which can take on unimaginable dimensions.
Feared as a plague with devastating consequences
- Migratory locusts eat everything that is green during their migration. A barren desert remains in the affected areas. A single animal usually eats as much every day as it weighs. With this, the voracious monsters cause dangerous damage, even if there are still smaller swarms at the beginning.
- The information on how large such swarms of locusts can grow is in the literature different. However, all of them are unimaginable, because there are up to two billion or more animals that eat their way through the landscape. Each one consumes up to three grams of green matter per day. A swarm can cover an area of one hundred square kilometers, up to 50 million animals are estimated per square kilometer, which is around 100 tons in weight.
- The larvae also all pull in the same direction and eat the soil bare. They cover up to 15 kilometers a day, with the swarm itself it is often up to 50 kilometers.
- It is difficult to predict where the swarms will migrate. They are driven by the wind and can sometimes be found at a distance of 2000 kilometers from their place of origin. In the Orient, locusts are appropriately called "teeth of the wind".
- In the past, the locust plague also hit European areas. Today, especially in Africa, they are always a dangerous natural disaster. One tries to prevent the massive occurrence of locusts with insecticides and researches into biological agents. Nevertheless, the huge swarms remain the horror of farmers and the population, especially in Africa.
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