Locusts, a group of locusts, are quite a large pest. length from 3cm, externally resembling a grasshopper.

Its elongated body is covered on the sides by hard elytra, often colored to match the area in which the insect lives. The color of individuals can be brown, yellowish or green.

The female has an ovipositor in the form of a pointed spike at the end of her body.

Interesting! The color of locusts is camouflage. It is different even among closely related insects and depends not only on the type of pest, but also on the palette environment, nature of nutrition, humidity.

In the Asian locust, for example, even the gregarious and solitary forms have different appearances.

Photo

For a visual assessment of what locusts look like, photo below:

Locust and grasshopper: differences

Let's find out the difference between a locust and a grasshopper:

• The grasshopper's whiskers are longer than those of the locust, rise strongly above the head;
• nature awarded the grasshopper with longer limbs, massive hind legs - it is better adapted for jumping.

Despite their external similarity, these two insects belong to different orders.– grasshoppers and locusts. The former are representatives of the long-whiskered suborder; the locust belongs to the short-whiskered suborder.

There are also differences in the lifestyle of the grasshopper and the locust:

• Short-whiskered herbivores, and grasshopper representatives are predators;
• locusts are diurnal, raiding crops in broad daylight, long-legged jumpers are considered nocturnal insects;
• grasshoppers lay eggs on above-ground parts of plants, and locust pests into the soil.

Damage caused

A plague of locusts can destroy every day from 3 tons of wild and cultivated plants , not disdaining a blade of grass. It is considered the most harmful. Every 10 years of life, the insect population is accompanied by peaks, during which countless swarms eat up to 20 tons of vegetation at the root.

What plants does it affect?

The pest is unpretentious in food, he eats ground parts vegetable plants, cereals, melons, attacks orchards, berry gardens, wild trees, not disdaining reed plants.

They serve as food leaves, stems, shoots, even the bark of young trees.

You can learn more about the taste preferences of the merciless insect in the section dedicated to it.

Interesting! The older an insect gets, the more varied the food it eats becomes. Seasoned individuals are practically omnivorous.

Who will help?

The main defenders of human crops from the voracious flyer are birds. Who eats locusts: herons, sparrows, starlings, storks, gulls, crows. A pest that has lost its agility can become a victim of small rodents.

Kinds

The name of the giant locust itself suggests that these insects have a record large size - up to 20 cm. The pest lives in the hot climate of South America.

In Russia, green locusts are found everywhere, resembling a grasshopper - an assistant to farmers and gardeners.

The inconspicuous omnivorous Moroccan pest is dangerous ability to quickly adapt to insecticides and cause great economic damage.

Capable of migrating in search of climates suitable for breeding, the desert locust is known for the amount of greenery consumed by an individual is equal to its weight.

Nutrition

Good for food both soft and hard foods, which is within the power of the insect’s powerful jaws.

Due to the structure of its oral apparatus, it cannot feed on nectar or suck out plant juices: the insect is forced to gnaw on everything edible that comes across its path.

Reproduction

Mating of pests in a favorable climate can be carried out from 5 to 12 times per year.

After mating and fertilization, the female lays eggs in the soil, from which larvae will appear after 2 weeks - smaller copies of adult insects.

In section about you can see photos of insect eggs and larvae.

Land protection

Surprisingly, locusts still cause great damage to humans today. In the article dedicated to the pest, you can read about how to stop attacks of its various types.

So, we have described a dangerous agricultural pest - the locust, photographs of which you can see above.

Our world is amazingly beautiful. He's rich a variety of plants, animals, insects. Some individuals seem to be created in order to please a person’s gaze, to give joy from realizing the beauty of certain forms of life. However, there is no day without night. There are creatures in the world that not only have a frightening appearance, but also bring harm to humans through their vital activity. The locust insect is a clear example of such a creature. How dangerous are they?

Locust insect: description

Locusts and the so-called locusts together form a single superfamily - locusts. This is the first most numerous group belonging to the order. If you compare the locust with its closest relatives, grasshoppers, you will notice that it has shorter antennae, its hearing organs have an unusual specificity, and the female has a shorter ovipositor. Most orthopteran insects are natural “musicians” of the natural world. The locust insect is no exception.

Where does this pest live? Russia is home to about six hundred species of locusts, which mostly terrorize southern regions countries. During the day, its chirping drowns out the singing of grasshoppers, due to the large flock. The apparatus that allows the locust to produce a melody is located on the thighs of the hind legs, as well as on the elytra. On the inner part of the thigh there is a sequence of tubercles. The vein here is seriously thickened. Making accelerated movements of the thigh, the insect touches it with tubercles, which leads to intermittent chirping. The locust's hearing organs are located on the sides of the first abdominal segment. In some species, the lower wings are colored bright colors. In case of danger, the locust takes off sharply and scares away the enemy with a loud song and colorful colors.

What do locusts eat?

The locust insect, unlike its relatives - grasshoppers, feeds exclusively on plants, not disdaining agricultural crops. This pest has a truly brutal appetite. It eats all the plants it comes across on its way. If a swarm of locusts reaches the fields where a person grows corn, grain and other crops, the region under the terror of the insect may suffer from famine.

In a day, an adult locust eats vegetation equal in weight to its own body. Over the course of its life, it can destroy more than three hundred grams of green mass. The offspring left by one female locust eats enough food to feed two sheep during one summer. Swarms of the pest can easily destroy thousands of hectares of crops in a few hours.

Types of locusts

Harmful insect species are usually divided into gregarious individuals and solitary individuals. On South Russian Federation The most common migratory insect is the locust. A photo of this pest can be found in any biological encyclopedia. Locusts live very hidden. During mass reproduction, it groups the larvae into one large aggregation, called a swarm. Sometimes its area is simply huge. If many larvae hatch in one area, they immediately begin migrating. Otherwise, they remain in place and lead a sedentary, solitary lifestyle.

Swarms of locusts

In the fifties of the twentieth century in North Africa, people noticed a huge swarm of locusts, the length of which reached two hundred and fifty kilometers and a width of twenty. In previous centuries, there were known cases when hordes of this insect reached Europe. Some flocks numbered forty billion individuals. They accumulate in so-called flying clouds. Their area is sometimes equal to thousands of square kilometers.

The wings of an insect rub during flight - a creaking sound is heard. When a cloud of millions of individuals passes by, the noise it makes is mistaken for thunder. The locust insect, accumulating into adult swarms, can travel about one hundred kilometers a day. Flying at a speed of fifteen kilometers per hour. History has recorded cases where small swarms of locusts traveled across the ocean, covering a distance of almost six thousand kilometers.

How do locusts reproduce?

The locust insect reproduces using its shortened ovipositor. As a rule, the female of this pest lays eggs directly into the ground. It secretes a liquid mass that resembles glue. Organic matter hardens over time. Using it, the insect cements pieces of soil around future pests. A so-called egg capsule is formed - a durable cocoon for eggs with hard walls. If the “population density” of insects becomes too high, the locusts gather in a swarm and fly away from their habitat. In this way, she “unloads” the field, which is no longer able to feed all the individuals living on it.

Locusts - friend or foe?

One of the cute signs of a hot summer day is the deafening crackling of locusts and the melodic roulades of grasshoppers... But when the abundance of insects increases by orders of magnitude, these sounds indicate a disaster, environmental and economic. It is not for nothing that the locust has already gained fame as one of the “plagues of Egypt”: “And the locust attacked the whole land of Egypt, and lay throughout the whole land of Egypt in great multitudes; there had never been such locusts before, and there will never be such after this.”

For many decades, scientists from different countries are trying to unravel the secrets of these insects, known since biblical times. Why, for example, do some locust species remain rare, while the numbers of others can increase significantly? Why do individuals of some species suddenly change their appearance at the peak of their numbers? There are still not all the answers to all the questions, but we managed to find out that the consumption of crops by these pests turns out to be a benefit for natural herbaceous communities, since it contributes to the destruction and rapid return of plant mass to the cycle of matter and energy

“And the locusts and caterpillars came without number.”
Psalms, Psalm 104

Steppe. Hot summer day. The deafening crackling of locusts and the rumble of grasshoppers... It is at such times that you realize how many of these so sweet-to-hear “singing in the grass” are there. But when the abundance of some of them increases by orders of magnitude, this is already a disaster, environmental and economic.

For many decades, scientists from different countries have been trying to unravel the secrets of these insects, known since biblical times. Why, for example, do some locust species remain rare, while the numbers of others can increase significantly? Why do some of them form huge flocks from time to time? There are still not all answers to such questions...

Locusts (Acridoidea) are fairly large insects belonging to the order Orthoptera. Their closest relatives are the well-known grasshoppers and crickets, as well as little-known small inhabitants of the plant litter, jumpers and quails.

Many of the Orthoptera are clearly visible in natural habitats: they are brightly colored, “musical”, jump high and are capable of flight.

These insects have long attracted human attention: in the East, it is customary to keep crickets and grasshoppers at home instead of the usual songbirds, and fights between male crickets have been an exciting sporting spectacle for centuries. In a number of countries in Asia and Africa, local locust species are still considered a delicacy: they are fried, boiled, and dried.

But still, much more often we remember them when we learn about the damage caused by the next invasion of voracious insects. It is not surprising that in the human mind locusts are primarily associated with the “image of the enemy.”

And the locusts came upon all the land of Egypt...

The emergence of agriculture over the past ten thousand years is integrally associated with regular invasions of locusts into cultivated fields. Images of one of the most famous types of pests - the desert locust - are found in the tombs of the first Egyptian pharaohs. The damage caused by desert locusts is evidenced by Assyro-Babylonian cuneiform tablets.

Locusts are mentioned several dozen times in the Bible, mostly as a creature hostile to humans. No wonder it earned fame as one of the apocalyptic “plagues of Egypt”: “And the locusts attacked all the land of Egypt, and lay throughout the whole land of Egypt in great multitudes; There have never been such locusts before, and there will never be such after this” (Exodus 10:14).

Residents of Ancient Rus' also encountered mass reproduction of this pest. Thus, the “Tale of Bygone Years” describes a terrible picture observed at the end of the 11th century: “The locusts came on August 28 and covered the earth, and it was scary to watch; they were moving to the northern countries, devouring grass and millet.”

Not much has changed since then. Thus, during the locust invasion in 1986–1989. In North Africa and the Middle East, almost 17 million hectares of farmland were treated with chemical insecticides, and the total costs of eliminating the outbreak itself and its consequences exceeded $270 million. In 2000, more than 10 million hectares were cultivated in the CIS countries (mainly in Kazakhstan and southern Russia).

Outbreaks of mass reproduction are primarily characteristic of the so-called gregarious locusts(in everyday life - just locusts). IN favorable conditions they form kuliga– huge accumulations of larvae, the density of which can exceed 1000 specimens/m2. Bands, and then swarms of adult individuals, can actively migrate, sometimes over very long distances (there are known cases of swarms of locusts flying across the Atlantic Ocean).

Fortunately, only a few species are capable of reaching catastrophic numbers. Firstly, it is deserted and migratory locust. These most famous and widespread representatives of gregarious locusts have another feature - a pronounced phase variability. This means that individuals at different population phases differ noticeably from each other in appearance. Individuals of the gregarious phase are characterized by dark coloration, longer wings and better muscle development.

Changes in the appearance and numbers of other species of gregarious locusts (for example, the Italian and Moroccan locusts living within the CIS) are not so striking, which, however, does not prevent their flocks from flying over considerable distances (tens and even hundreds of kilometers) in search of food.

Creators of Fertility

It is the gregarious species of locusts that cause the main damage during the years of outbreaks of their numbers, destroying almost all green parts of plants along the way. But also their non-gregarious relatives (who are often called fillies And skates), as well as their distant relatives from the order Orthoptera, can also reproduce in large numbers and destroy plant cover both in natural ecosystems and in fields.

But should these insects be considered just a punishment for humanity? In fact, as herbivores they are the most important element food webs in herbaceous ecosystems, primarily steppes, prairies, semi-deserts and savannas. This not so obvious role of theirs was noted in the biblical texts: “What was left of the caterpillar was eaten by locusts, what was left of the locust was eaten by worms, and what was left of the worms was eaten by beetles” (Book of the Prophet Joel, 1, 4).

The famous Siberian entomologist I.V. Stebaev back in the early 1960s. showed that in the temperate latitudes of Eurasia, locusts during warm season can consume over 10% of the green phytomass of herbs. In addition, they actively use litter for food, and if there is a lack of plant food, they are able to switch to the corpses of their fellows, the excrement of other animals, etc. (locusts can even eat textiles and leather goods!). One average individual of the Siberian steppe locust consumes approximately 3–3.5 g of green parts of plants during its entire life, which is approximately 20 times its adult weight (Rubtsov, 1932). Slightly higher figures were obtained for North American and South African locusts.

Such gluttony of these insects paradoxically turns out to be a blessing for natural communities. Thus, Stebaev and his colleagues found that locusts contribute to the destruction and rapid return of plant mass to the cycle of matter and energy: in the intestines of many steppe species locust leaves and stems of cereals are not so much digested as crushed and fragmented, and symbiotic intestinal microorganisms enrich these fragments with B vitamins. As a result, locust excrement turns into excellent organic fertilizer. In addition, Canadian researchers have shown that locusts, by eating leaves, activate plant growth and increase their productivity.

Thus, despite the fact that the damage caused by locusts and other orthoptera can be enormous, their role in ensuring the normal functioning and sustainability of natural ecosystems, especially herbaceous ones, is colossal.

Is man an enemy or a friend?

People have been trying to fight locusts for many centuries. Until the beginning of the 20th century. have been used enough simple ways: mechanical destruction, burning and plowing of oviposition deposits.

Later, various chemicals, and over the past decades, the range of insecticides has changed significantly: the notorious DDT and HCH were first replaced by organophosphorus compounds, and then by more specific synthetic pyrethroids, inhibitors of the synthesis of chitin (the main component of the exoskeleton of insects), etc.

However, despite the reduction in the overall toxicity and effective doses of new insecticides, the environmental problems of their use have not disappeared (primarily this relates to the death of other invertebrates). Biological products, biologically active substances and other products do not have these disadvantages. similar means, in many cases giving a good effect. However, the effect of such drugs does not appear immediately, and they cannot quickly suppress a pest outbreak.

As a result, despite all the long and titanic efforts, including the massive use of DDT and large-scale plowing of the virgin lands, it has still not been possible to solve the “locust” problem. However, in some cases, human impact on locusts and other orthoptera can have disastrous consequences, and this applies not only to rare species with small areas. Thus, according to the American researcher D. Lockwood, a victim of changes in land use practices at the end of the 19th century. became the famous Rocky Mountain locust mentioned above. After another outbreak of mass reproduction, its populations remained in river valleys, which began to be actively plowed. As a result, today this species is considered completely extinct: its last representative was caught in 1903.

But there is also counter examples: in some cases, human activity contributes not to a decrease, but to an increase in the number of Orthoptera. This result is caused, for example, by overgrazing of livestock, the introduction of anti-erosion farming systems and an increase in the area of ​​fallow lands. Thus, in recent decades, in the southeast of Western Siberia, due to the use of anthropogenic landscapes, the ranges of the lesser crosswing, blue-winged filly, common laminated wing, etc. have been expanding.

There are also known cases of anthropogenic dispersal of Orthoptera over long distances. It was in this way that several European species, such as the large ambush predator the steppe racket, colonized some warm-temperate regions of eastern North America.

Singing in the grass

Locusts and their relatives from the order Orthoptera themselves represent a very interesting object for research. Thus, few people know that among them there are species that spend their entire or almost their entire lives on trees and shrubs (there are especially many such forms in tropical forests). Some inhabitants of warm latitudes are able to move along the surface of the water like water striders, while others are able to swim quite well, even underwater. A number of orthoptera (for example, mole crickets) dig holes, and pseudo-grasshoppers can settle in caves.

It is believed that locusts are polyphagous, but in reality almost all of them prefer to feed on very specific groups of plants, and some are even characterized by a pronounced trophic specialization. Such gourmets can eat, for example, poisonous plants (wrestlers, hellebores, etc.) without harming their health. Among grasshoppers, especially large ones, predators or species with mixed nutrition predominate, and a significant part of the remaining orthoptera are capable of processing dead plant litter.

The adaptations of insects associated with reproduction are very interesting and varied. This especially applies to means of communication, by which the gender of an individual can be recognized. Orthoptera males are unique in the variety of ways they produce sounds: here is the interaction of the right and left elytra; hind limbs and upper side of elytra; hind limbs and underside of elytra; rear thighs; Krauss special organ; finally, he simply “gnashes” his jaws. Sometimes females can sing too.

Species that are not capable of making sounds often use signal coloration: males have very brightly colored hind wings, hind legs, and the inner side of the hind thighs, which insects demonstrate during courtship.

In most locusts, after fertilization, the females lay a group of eggs in the soil, surrounded by a more or less durable shell. In association with a traditional clay vessel, this type of masonry is called a capsule. Other orthoptera also lay eggs directly in the soil, but there are grasshoppers that use green plants for this. They file leaves or shoots with the edge of their ovipositor and lay eggs in the resulting gap.

The well-developed ability to move among locusts and their relatives also deserves special mention. Many of them are capable of actively walking, jumping and flying, however, as a rule, their movements do not exceed tens of meters. Ratchets common in southern Siberia can stay in the air for tens of minutes: using flows warm air, they rise to a height of over 10 m. But even these record holders most often return to the area from which they took off (Kazakova, Sergeev, 1987). The exception is gregarious locusts. As already mentioned, they can move over much longer distances: larvae - up to tens and hundreds of meters, and adults fly tens and hundreds of kilometers.

Some flightless species use non-trivial methods for dispersal. Thus, the English researcher G. Hewitt and his colleagues (Hewitt et al., 1990) observed in the Alps how individuals of the wingless filly jumped on sheep and literally moved on horseback.

Two centuries at gunpoint

The locust and its relatives have been actively studied over the past two centuries: the order Orthoptera was identified by P. A. Latreille back in 1793. Researchers of the 19th century. They were mainly engaged in the description of new forms and the study of the individual development of these insects, but even then the first ecological observations appeared, including those of potentially harmful species.

In the 20th century these traditional directions have evolved: numerous new taxa have been identified, mainly from tropical regions; The basic patterns of distribution of Orthoptera have been established. But Special attention focused on ecology - intrapopulation interactions, dynamics of populations and communities, role in natural and anthropogenic landscapes.

Our compatriots, who worked both in the former USSR and abroad, played an outstanding role in the study of locusts. Thus, a member of the English Royal Society and the creator of the famous Anti-Locust Center in London B.P. Uvarov in the 1920s. developed the theory of phases, which became the basis of modern locust ecology.

Of course, at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries. Researchers have the opportunity to obtain fundamentally new data about these insects using molecular genetic, biochemical and information methods. This is especially true for the mechanisms of transition from the solitary phase to the gregarious phase and back, migrations of bands and flocks, etc.

However, these opportunities are often not realized. This is largely due to the fact that interest in these insects (as well as research funding) drops sharply after the next outbreak is suppressed, when the danger to agriculture has passed.

Orthoptera have perfectly adapted to their habitat, having perfectly mastered camouflage techniques. For example, the coloring of species living on the stems of cereals seems to “dissolve” such creatures in the thickness of the grass stand. Their neighbors, living on the soil surface, “hide” due to a disjunctive combination of spots of their color, imitating plant litter.
In the grasslands of warm regions there are species whose body shape imitates the stems of cereals, and the inhabitants of desert landscapes often almost merge with the preferred type of surface due to their unique coloring and body structure. Orthoptera (especially grasshoppers) that inhabit trees and shrubs, often looking like leaves

However, the data that have been obtained in recent years allows us to look at the locust problem from a fundamentally different point of view. Thus, it is traditionally believed that within one natural region the spatiotemporal dynamics of settlements of one species are almost the same.

However, studies of Italian locust populations in the Kulunda steppe in 1999-2009. revealed a complex “wave-like” pattern of long-term spatial redistribution of maximum and minimum densities of insects. In other words, even neighboring groups of local settlements of this locust species in different time emerged from the population depression and reached the peak of reproduction.

What determines such different character of population trajectories? It turned out that one of the main factors determining the organization of populations of massive (and often potentially harmful) locusts is the heterogeneity of the natural environment. After all, each habitat is different from the other; moreover, in each of them such important indicators for insects as moisture content, soil and vegetation characteristics, and the degree of anthropogenic impact are constantly changing.

Another disturbing result is the coincidence of many areas of locust outbreaks with centers of diversity of other insects. And pest control can ultimately lead to the death of rare species.

The information available to scientists today suggests that nowadays people underestimate the problem of locusts and their relatives.

It is necessary to continue long-term studies of the ecology and biogeography of populations of mass species, as well as multi-species communities. Such data can serve as the basis for monitoring, as well as the development of population management measures aimed at minimizing environmental damage and maintaining biodiversity. The system itself for managing the populations of these insects should not be aimed at suppressing mass reproduction, but at preventing it.

There is an urgent need to develop relevant applications of information technologies, primarily geographic information systems and Earth remote sensing systems. It is in this direction that a technological breakthrough is possible, which will ensure that forecasts reach a fundamentally different level. And this is especially important now, in conditions of increasing frequency of climatic disturbances and intensification of human activity transforming the environment.

Literature

Lachininsky A.V., Sergeev M.G., Childebaev M.K. et al. Locusts of Kazakhstan, Central Asia and adjacent territories // International Association of Applied Acridology, University of Wyoming. Laramie, 2002. 387 p.

Sergeev M. G. Orthoptera insects (Orthoptera) of Northern Asia: fifty years later // Eurasian Entomological Journal. 2007. T. 6, no. 2. pp. 129–141 + tab II.

Lockwood J. A. Locust. New York: Basic Books, 2004. 294 p.

Lockwood J. A., Latchininsky A. V., Sergeev M. G. (Eds.) Grasshoppers and grassland health: Managing grasshopper outbreaks without risking environmental disaster. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000. 221 p.

Samways M. J., Sergeev M. G. Orthoptera and landscape change // The bionomics of grasshoppers, katydids and their kin. CAB International, 1997, pp. 147–162.

Sergeev M. G. Conservation of orthopteran biological diversity relative to landscape change in temperate Eurasia // Journ. Insect Conservation. 1998. Vol. 2, N 3/4. P. 247–252.

Locust is a large arthropod insect from the family of true locusts (lat. Acrididae), part of the order Orthoptera, suborder Short-whiskered. In ancient times, it was the main threat to crops. Descriptions of locusts are found in the Bible, the works of ancient Egyptian authors, the Koran and treatises of the Middle Ages.

Locust - description of an insect.

The locust has an elongated body from 5 to 20 cm long with rear legs bent at the knees, significantly larger in size than the middle and front legs. Two rigid elytra cover a pair of translucent wings, which are difficult to notice when folded. Sometimes they are covered with various patterns. Locusts have shorter antennae than crickets or grasshoppers. The head is large, with large eyes. The sound of locusts is formed as follows: males have special notches located on the surface of the thighs, and special thickenings on the elytra. When they rub against each other, a specific chirping sound is heard, which has a different tonality.

Locust color depends not on genes, but on the environment. Even individuals from the same offspring who grew up in different conditions, will differ in color. In addition, the color of the insect’s protective covers depends on the phase of its development. For example, in single stage In life, a male or female locust may have a bright green, yellow, gray or brown camouflage color and pronounced sexual differences. During the transition to the gregarious phase, the coloration becomes the same for everyone, and sexual dimorphism is leveled out. Locusts fly very quickly: when flying, a swarm of locusts can cover a distance of up to 120 km in one day.

What is the difference between a locust and a grasshopper?

• The locust is an insect from the locust family, suborder short-whiskered, and grasshoppers are part of the grasshopper family, suborder long-whiskered.
• The locust's whiskers and legs are shorter than those of the grasshopper.
• Grasshoppers are predators, and locusts are herbivorous insects. Although sometimes during long flights a locust can eat a weakened individual of the same species.
• Locusts are active during the day, while grasshoppers are active at night.
• Locusts cause harm agriculture humans, unlike harmless grasshoppers.
• Locusts lay their eggs in the soil or leaves on the ground, and in the stems of plants or under the bark of trees.

Types of locusts, names and photographs.

(lat. Dociostaurus maroccanus)– insect small size, body length rarely exceeds 2 cm. The color of adults is reddish-brown, with small dark spots scattered over the body and an unusual cross-shaped pattern light tone on the back. The hindquarters are pink or yellow on the thighs and red on the lower legs. Despite their miniature size, the Moroccan locust causes enormous damage to farmland and crops, gathering in numerous hordes and destroying absolutely everything that grows on the ground in its path. Lives this type locusts in Africa, Central Asia and Algeria, sultry Egypt, arid Libya and Morocco. It is found in European countries, for example, in France, Portugal, Spain, Italy and even in the Balkans.

(lat. Locusta migratoria)- a rather large insect: the body length of mature males is from 3.5 to 5 cm, in females it ranges from 4-6 cm. The color of the Asian locust varies in several ways color solutions: There are individuals of bright green, brownish, yellow-green or gray color. The wings are almost colorless, except for a slightly pronounced smoky tint and the finest black veins. The thighs of the hind legs are dark brown or blue-black, the lower legs may be beige, reddish or yellow. The habitat of this type of locust covers the entire territory of Europe, Asia Minor and Central Asia, the countries of North Africa, the region of Northern China and Korea. The Asian locust also lives in the south of Russia, is found in the Caucasus, in the mountains of Kazakhstan, and in the south of Western Siberia.

(lat.Schistocerca gregaria) - an insect with a fairly large size - females reach a size of 8 cm, males are slightly smaller - 6 cm in length. The color of the desert locust is dirty yellow, the wings are brown, with many veins. The hind limbs are bright yellow. This type of locust prefers to live in the tropics and subtropics: it is found in North Africa, on the Arabian Peninsula, on the territory of Hindustan and the border regions of the Sahara.

Italian locust or Prus Italianus (lat. Calliptamus italicus). The body of an adult locust of this species is medium in size: in males, the body length varies from 1.4 to 2.8 cm, females can reach 4 cm in length. The wings are powerful, highly developed, with sparse veins. The colors of individuals are multifaceted: brick-red, brown, brown, sometimes pale pink tones predominate in the color. Light longitudinal stripes and whitish spots are often visible on the main background. The hind wings and thighs of the hind limbs are pinkish, the lower legs are red or whitish, with transverse stripes of black or dark brown. The habitat of the Italian locust covers almost the entire Mediterranean zone and a significant part of Western Asia. The Italian locust lives in central Europe and Western Siberia, and lives in Altai, Iran and Afghanistan.

Rainbow Locust (lat. Phymateus saxosus)- a type of locust that lives on the island of Madagascar. Incredibly bright in color and very poisonous, the rainbow locust reaches a size of 7 cm. The entire body of the insect shimmers with the most different colors– from bright yellow to purple, blue and red, and saturated with toxins. They are produced due to the fact that locusts feed exclusively on poisonous plants. Typically, large populations of this species of locust are found in the foliage of trees or in thickets of milkweed, the juice of which is a favorite delicacy of the rainbow locust.

Siberian filly (lat. Gomphocerus sibiricus)- an insect of brown-brown, olive or gray-green color. The size of an adult female does not exceed 2.5 cm, males are rarely larger than 2.3 cm. The habitat is very wide: the Siberian filly lives in the mountainous areas of Central Asia and the Caucasus, is found in Mongolia and northeast China, and feels comfortable in northern regions of Russia, in particular in Siberia and northern Kazakhstan. The insect causes widespread damage to grain crops, pastures and hayfields.

Egyptian filly (lat. Anacridium aegyptium)- one of the largest locust species found in Europe. Females grow up to 6.5-7 cm in length, males are somewhat more modest in size - 30-55 mm. The color of the insect can be gray, light brown or greenish-olive. Hind legs of blue color, and the thighs are bright orange, with distinctive black markings. The eyes of the Egyptian filly always have pronounced black and white stripes. This type of locust lives in the Middle East, European countries, and North Africa.

Blue-winged filly (lat. Oedipoda caerulescens)- medium-sized locusts: the length of an adult female is 2.2-2.8 cm, the male is slightly smaller - 1.5-2.1 cm in length. The filly's wings are very spectacular - bright blue at the base, becoming colorless towards the top. On the surface of the graceful wings there is a beautiful pattern consisting of the thinnest radial stripes of black color. The tibiae of the hind limbs are bluish in color and covered with light spines. The blue-winged filly is widespread in the steppe and forest-steppe regions Eurasia, lives in the Caucasus and Central Asia, found in Western Siberia and China.

Steppe (Asian) migratory locust Locusta migratoria. (Acrididae, Caelifera)

Distribution area: Asia, Southern Europe, North Africa. Habitat: mostly soil, sometimes shrubs.

Dimensions: females - 6 cm, males - 4 cm Food sources (adults): grasses, cereals Food sources (larvae): grasses, cereals Duration of development: in the egg - 15 days, larvae - 30 days.
Lifespan: 8 weeks The migratory steppe locust has long been a scourge for people living in tropical and subtropical regions. When mass reproduction suddenly begins, these insects become pests. Millions of these insects attack the fields of peasants and devour everything growing on them. At present, the reasons for the irregularly recurring mass reproduction of the steppe migratory locust are still not clear. To study this dangerous phenomenon, scientists from different countries are implementing a long-term scientific project.

At normal reproduction rates, migratory steppe locusts are peaceful, sedentary insects that do not cause harm. Only during mass reproduction does hunger force these insects to wander: larvae move on the ground, and adults fly through the air. This behavior of larvae can be observed in captivity if they are deprived of food sources.

The color of insects varies from light gray to light brown with dark gray and brown spots. Light gray veins stand out on the wings. Females and males can fly. Upon reaching sexual maturity, the color of the body and legs of males becomes yellow. The color of the larvae is brown and black.

Biology. In its distribution area, the steppe migratory locust Locusta migratoria lives in dry steppes and agricultural lands created on them, feeding mainly on grasses and cereals. It is most active in bright sunlight and high temperatures.

During mating, males make chirping sounds to attract females. Mating lasts several hours, the males are on the backs of the females. At this time, copulation occurs. In some cases, males remain sitting on females while laying eggs.

To lay eggs, the female makes holes 8-12 cm deep in the soil. In this case, the abdomen, like a telescope, extends to this length. The channel in the soil is filled with foamy secretion, into which the female lays an average of 40-50 eggs. After hardening, the foam forms a cocoon, which provides protection for the eggs - both from enemies and from drying out.

The larvae emerging from the eggs free themselves from the cocoon and crawl to the surface. Larvae size

6 mm, they white, with a soft body. After the cuticle hardens, the growth phase begins. The transformation is complete, that is, the larvae look like adult locusts.

Desert migratory locust Schistocerca gregaria (Acrididae, Caelifera)

Distribution area: North Africa, border areas of the Sahara. Habitat: grasses and shrubs.
Dimensions: females - 8 cm, males - 6 cm

Food sources (adults): grasses, blackberries (Rubus spec), leaves of shrubs and trees. Food sources (larvae): grasses, blackberries (Rubus spec), leaves of shrubs and trees
Duration of development: in the egg - 18 days, larvae - 35 days. Life expectancy: 8 weeks.

The color of insects is dirty yellow. The wings are dark brown with veins. Females and males can fly. At the onset of puberty, the color of the body and legs of males becomes bright yellow. The color of the larvae is bright yellow, green and black.

Biology. The desert migratory locust Schistocerca gregaria in its distribution area lives in the border regions of deserts and semi-deserts, feeding on grasses, cereals and foliage. It is most active in bright sunlight and high temperatures.

During mating, males make chirping sounds to attract females. Mating lasts several hours, the males are on the backs of the females. In some cases, males remain sitting on females while laying eggs.

To lay eggs, the female makes holes 8-12 cm deep in the soil. In this case, the abdomen, like a telescope, extends to this length. The channel in the soil is filled with foamy secretion, into which the female lays an average of 40-50 eggs. After hardening, the foam forms a cocoon, which provides protection for the eggs - both from enemies and from drying out.

The larvae emerging from the eggs free themselves from the cocoon and crawl to the surface. The size of the larvae is about 6 mm, the color is white, the body is soft. After the cuticle hardens, the growth phase begins. The transformation is complete.

"Foam Locust" Autarches milharis (Pyrgomorphidae, Acridoidea, Caelifera)

Distribution area: Indo-Malay archipelago. Habitat: bushes. Dimensions: females - 7 cm, males - 5 cm.

Food sources (adults): blackberries (Rubus spec), swallowtails (Asclepiadaceae). Food sources (larvae): blackberries (Rubus spec.) swallowtails (Asclepiadaceae)
Duration of development: in the egg - 4 months, larvae - 3 months. Life expectancy: 4 months.

The color is bright, variegated (black, white, orange green, red). This splendor of flowers serves as a warning to enemies that Pyrgomorphidae are unpalatable, smell bad, and produce a substance that has a repulsive odor (Skaife, Lebger, Bannister, 1981). In addition, these insects protect themselves with a foamy liquid secreted from an opening at the base of the hind legs. The coloration of the elytra is olive with yellow spots. Pronotum behind head orange color, on the upper side of the body it is black, and on the sides it is white. The head is painted black and white, with bluish-green underneath. The chest is red, the abdomen is black and red with a ring-shaped pattern. Females have 4 hard horny outgrowths on their abdomen. Males are smaller than females. They have a soft, blunt growth on their abdomen.

Insects of this species lack the chirping organ (Schrillorgan). The hearing organs are well developed, located behind the thoracic region of the body in the middle of the first visible abdominal ring. They can be distinguished by the naked eye; they appear as round depressions on the body of the insect (Skaife, Lebger, Bannister, 1981).

Biology. Insects of this species and the next two species are diurnal and live on the branches of bushes, along which they slowly move. Mating also occurs on a plant that serves as a food source for the insects.

Females descend to the ground to lay eggs. The female presses the end of the abdomen to the surface of the soil and, turning slightly, screws it into the ground. The female begins to lay eggs when the abdomen is immersed in the ground in such a way that the head, chest and legs are pressed to the surface. The eggs are oblong in shape, covered with a foamy secretion that binds pieces of earth and forms a kind of capsule.

The larvae emerging from the eggs are covered with a shell that protects them as they move through the top layer of soil. Immediately after emerging to the surface, the larvae shed this shell and quickly climb onto the plant that serves as their source of food.