One of the most important rules for growing strong and healthy seedlings- presence of the “correct” soil mixture. Typically, gardeners use two options for growing seedlings: either a purchased soil mixture or one made independently from several components. In both cases, the fertility of the soil for seedlings is, to put it mildly, questionable. This means that the seedlings will require additional nutrition from you. In this article we will talk about simple and effective feeding for seedlings.

After a decade of catalog dominance by original variegated and colorful tulip varieties, trends began to change. At exhibitions, the best designers in the world offer to remember the classics and pay tribute to charming white tulips. Sparkling under the warm rays of the spring sun, they look especially festive in the garden. Welcoming spring after a long wait, tulips seem to remind us that white is not only the color of snow, but also the joyful celebration of flowering.

Despite the fact that cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables, not all summer residents, especially beginners, can grow its seedlings. In apartment conditions they are hot and dark. In this case, it is impossible to obtain high-quality seedlings. And without strong, healthy seedlings it is difficult to count on good harvest. Experienced gardeners know that it is better to sow cabbage seedlings in greenhouses or greenhouses. And some even grow cabbage by direct sowing seeds in the ground.

Flower growers tirelessly discover new houseplants, replacing some with others. And here the conditions of a particular room are of no small importance, because plants have different requirements for their maintenance. Lovers of beauty often face difficulties flowering plants. After all, for flowering to be long and abundant, such specimens require special care. Unpretentious plants There are not very many flowers blooming in rooms, and one of them is streptocarpus.

Calendula (marigold) is a flower that stands out among others with its bright color. Low bushes with delicate orange inflorescences can be found on the side of the road, in the meadow, in the front garden next to the house or even in vegetable beds. Calendula is so widespread in our area that it seems like it has always grown here. About interesting decorative varieties calendula, as well as about the use of calendula in cooking and medicine, read our article.

I think many will agree that the wind is well perceived by us only in the romantic aspect: we are sitting in a cozy warm home, and the wind is raging outside the window... In fact, the wind blowing through our areas is a problem and there is nothing good about it. By creating windbreaks with the help of plants, we break the strong wind into several weak currents and significantly weaken its destructive power. How to protect a site from the wind will be discussed in this article.

Making a shrimp and avocado sandwich for breakfast or dinner couldn't be easier! This breakfast contains almost all the necessary products that will recharge you with energy so that you won’t want to eat until lunch, and no extra centimeters will appear on your waist. This is the most delicious and light sandwich, after, perhaps, the classic cucumber sandwich. This breakfast contains almost all the necessary products that will recharge you with energy so that you won’t want to eat until lunch.

Modern ferns are those rare plants antiquities, which, despite the passage of time and all kinds of cataclysms, not only survived, but were also largely able to preserve their former appearance. Of course, it is not possible to grow any of the fern representatives indoors, but some species have successfully adapted to life indoors. They look great as single plants or decorate a group of decorative foliage flowers.

Pilaf with pumpkin and meat is Azerbaijani pilaf, which differs in the method of preparation from traditional oriental pilaf. All ingredients for this recipe are prepared separately. Rice is boiled with ghee, saffron and turmeric. The meat is fried separately until golden brown, and pumpkin slices as well. Separately prepare the onions and carrots. Then everything is placed in layers in a cauldron or thick-walled pan, a little water or broth is poured in and simmered over low heat for about half an hour.

Basil - a wonderful universal seasoning for meat, fish, soups and fresh salads - is well known to all lovers of Caucasian and Italian cuisine. However, upon closer inspection, basil turns out to be a surprisingly versatile plant. For several seasons now, our family has been happily drinking aromatic basil tea. In a flowerbed with perennials and in flowerpots with annual flowers, bright spice plant a worthy place was also found.

Thuja or juniper - which is better? This question can sometimes be heard in garden centers and markets where these plants are sold. It is, of course, not entirely correct and correct. Well, it’s the same as asking what is better - night or day? Coffee or tea? Woman or man? Surely, everyone will have their own answer and opinion. And yet... What if you approach with an open mind and try to compare juniper and thuja according to certain objective parameters? Let's try.

Brown Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Smoked Bacon is a delicious, smooth and creamy soup that both adults and children will love. If you are preparing a dish for the whole family, including kids, then do not add a lot of spices, although many modern children are not at all against spicy flavors. Bacon for serving can be prepared in different ways - fry in a frying pan, as in this recipe, or bake in the oven on parchment for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

For some, the time of sowing seeds for seedlings is a long-awaited and pleasant chore, for others it is a difficult necessity, while others wonder whether it would be easier to buy ready seedlings at the market or with friends? Be that as it may, even if you gave up growing vegetable crops, for sure, you will still have to sow something. These are flowers and perennials, conifers and much more. A seedling is still a seedling, no matter what you sow.

A lover of moist air and one of the most compact and rare orchids, pafinia is a real star for most orchid growers. Its flowering rarely lasts longer than a week, but it can be an unforgettable sight. You want to look at the unusual striped patterns on the huge flowers of the modest orchid endlessly. IN indoor culture pafinia is rightly ranked among the difficult-to-grow species. It became fashionable only with the spread of interior terrariums.

Pumpkin ginger marmalade is a warming sweet that can be prepared almost all year round. Pumpkin keeps for a long time - sometimes I manage to save a few vegetables until summer, fresh ginger and lemons are always available these days. Lemon can be replaced with lime or orange to create different flavors - variety in sweets is always nice. The finished marmalade is placed in dry jars; it can be stored at room temperature, but it’s always healthier to cook fresh food.

In 2014, the Japanese company Takii seed introduced petunia with a striking petal color - salmon-orange. Based on associations with the bright colors of the southern sunset sky, the unique hybrid was named African Sunset. Needless to say, this petunia instantly won the hearts of gardeners and was in great demand. But in the last two years, the curiosity has suddenly disappeared from store windows. Where did the orange petunia go?

Locusts in the distant past were humanity's enemy No. 1, but modern people little has been heard about her. Meanwhile, it is described in ancient Egyptian papyri, the Bible, the Koran, the works of the Middle Ages, fiction XIX century. It's time to learn more about the insect, whose name in past centuries served as the personification of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria).

The first thing that should be said is that the locust is not one species, but an entire superfamily in the order Orthoptera, uniting relatively large jumping insects. Their closest relatives are grasshoppers (unlike locusts, they never form mass aggregations), and slightly more distant relatives are true grasshoppers and crickets.

The appearance of the locust is also typically “grasshopper”: an elongated body with long legs bent at the knees, a relatively large head with large eyes, a pair of hard elytra and a pair of transparent wings, completely invisible when folded, but opening, like a dragonfly, when flying. In addition to everything, the locust has an excellent ear for music (its auditory openings are located on the abdomen) and special devices for making sounds. The latter include serrations on the femora and thickened veins on the elytra. When the locust runs its thigh along the elytra, a loud chirping of varying tones is heard.

If the locust looks like a grasshopper and chirps like a grasshopper, then how is it different from it? And the main and most reliable feature that allows you to accurately distinguish a locust from a grasshopper is the length of the antennae: in grasshoppers they are often equal to the length of the body, but in locusts, on the contrary, the antennae never exceed half of its length.

In some species of locust, the crown of the head is elongated and, together with the antennae, forms a narrow cone, while the contours of the body merge with the elongated leaves of the cereals on which this insect usually feeds.

Sexual dimorphism in these insects manifests itself differently even within the same species: in the solitary phase, males and females differ in the color of their integument, but in the gregarious phase these differences are not pronounced. In general, the color different types locusts can be very different - bright green, yellow, brown of all possible shades, gray and even blue-red. But whatever the color of the individuals, it is always more or less similar to the color of the plants or soil on which this species is found. Thus, the coloring of locusts is of a camouflage nature. It is also noteworthy that the color of a single form of locust is determined not by genes, as is the case in most other animals, but environment. In other words, whatever environment the locust larva sees around itself, that’s the color it will grow. Even in the offspring of the same pair, individuals of dissimilar colors can be obtained if they are grown on different substrates.

The excellent camouflage of the Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus) does not work only during flight, when bright pink spots at the base of the wings become noticeable.

The locusts mature at record speed; the insects mate within 4-10 days after the last molt. The female then plunges her long ovipositor into the ground and lays 300 to 1200 eggs. At the same time, a whitish liquid is released from the ovipositor, which quickly hardens. This peculiar " polyurethane foam» securely seals the egg capsule. If the laying is done in an area with cold winters, then during frosts the development of eggs is suspended and in this state overwintering occurs, and the larvae appear in the spring. In warm regions, development proceeds without delay and lasts about 14-16 days. The hatched larvae look like worms, which is an adaptation to living in the soil. However, this nursery period of their life lasts only a few hours. The larvae, wriggling, crawl upward and, as soon as they reach the surface, they immediately molt. Second instar larvae (nymphs) look like adults, but they are still wingless and have a slightly shortened body and antennae. With subsequent molts, they acquire the rudiments of wings, enlarge and lengthen, reaching “adulthood” in just 40 days. Adults (imago) die after laying eggs.

Section of soil with a locust egg capsule: oblong eggs are visible below, and above is a passage sealed with the foamy secretions of the female.

The total range of all locust species is quite wide and covers the dry tropics, subtropics, as well as the warmest areas middle zone. These insects can be found on all continents except Antarctica and North America. However, on the last continent the lack of native species is more than compensated for by the damage caused by migratory locusts brought from the Old World. As for Eurasia, here the northern border of locust distribution runs through the Central Russian Upland and Western Siberia, however, in these areas, population outbreaks are extremely rare and never take on catastrophic proportions.

For the first time in their lives, molted locust nymphs emerge from their nest hidden in the ground.

Without exception, all types of locusts are inhabitants of open spaces, which is explained by their diet. The fact is that these insects prefer to eat cereals, which are mostly light-loving. However, the habitats of different species can vary significantly. On this basis, locust species are usually divided into two groups. Some species clearly gravitate towards areas covered with dense and uniform grass cover, and therefore live in meadows, steppes, savannas and reed thickets along the banks of water bodies. Others prefer areas with a bare surface, dotted with rare shrubs and tufts of grass, and therefore are found in deserts and semi-deserts, foothills and rocky outcrops.

The surprising thing is that by nature locusts are... harmless. IN normal conditions These insects lead a solitary lifestyle and cause no more damage to vegetation than the beloved grasshoppers. But unlike the latter, locusts can undergo a radical restructuring of instincts, biochemical processes and physiology. The trigger for change is hunger. While grasshoppers live predominantly in moderately humid places rich in vegetation, locusts, which are attached to dry biotopes, often face seasonal food shortages or cyclical droughts, which are not uncommon in steppes and semi-deserts. When the food supply is critically depleted, insects, willy-nilly, are forced to concentrate on areas where at least some grass remains. This is where the fun begins!

Many nymphs sitting nearby touch each other with their legs; from frequent contact, their nerve cells are excited and begin to secrete hormones. Under their influence, the larvae change color, but not to a camouflage color, but to a special one - the same for all! For example, at migratory locust the migratory form is black and yellow, although adult solitary individuals are often green. These colors are similar to uniforms, which unmistakably allow soldiers to distinguish friend from foe on the battlefield. Thanks to the inclusions of dark color, the bodies of the nymphs are heated by the sun more than usual, their temperature rises, their breathing quickens, and they become more mobile. In larvae younger age at the same time, the crowding instincts intensify, they form even denser clusters - swarms. Older larvae begin to move in one direction, but since their wings are underdeveloped, this movement still looks like walking. However, swarms of locusts even at this stage look quite threatening and unpleasant, because in some places the insects can form a layer up to 10 cm thick. During the entire period of the campaign, they are able to move a distance of up to 30 km; even rivers are not able to stop the marching swarm, because nymphs that cannot fly swim perfectly. The last molt does its job: the larvae gain wings and turn into migrating adults. At a certain moment, the entire flock rises into the air - the flying armada is ready to invade!

Nymphs of the Schistocerca gregaria march through the Negev Desert (Israel).

Typically, a swarm of locusts flies at a speed of 10-15 km/h at an altitude of up to 600 m, although individual swarms have been observed at altitudes from 2 to 6 km. Calm or weak winds are most favorable for flight; during strong gusts, the locust lands on the ground and waits out the unfavorable weather. Insects prefer to fly during daylight hours with short stops to feed, but sometimes the flight can continue at night. In one day, a flying flock can cover 80-120 km, and during the entire migration period it moves hundreds and thousands of kilometers. Historically, centers of mass reproduction are Northern and Central Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan, northern India, and Afghanistan. From these arid regions, swarms of locusts fly to where there is more moisture and food: from North-West Africa - to the Iberian Peninsula (in some cases they even flew to England), from Central Africa - to Egypt, from the Arabian Peninsula - to the Middle East, from Central Asia - to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, to the south of Russia.

A swarm of locusts flies over the Astrakhan region.

In describing locust raids, all literary sources are extremely unanimous. The raid always begins suddenly and to the observer it looks like a black cloud on the horizon, approaching with an ominous rustle. As the “cloud” approaches, it becomes clear that it is heterogeneous, and now hordes of insects are filling the entire space around. The locusts fly so densely that it is impossible to dodge them: the insects get into the face and mouth, crawl along the arms, fall to the ground, crunch underfoot, and the surviving individuals take off again. In a matter of minutes they eclipse the sun, cover the ground, buildings, trees, domestic animals with a continuous layer, vehicles, penetrate into all the cracks, clog into houses.

Pack small size, as in this photograph, numbers between 40 and 50 million individuals.

Each individual tries to bite off what it sits on. It should be especially noted here that adult migrating locusts are distinguished by amazing omnivorousness, which is not characteristic of nymphs and solitary adults. Therefore, the swooping locusts eat all the vegetation they see. First of all, bread, melons and industrial crops suffer from it - these delicacies go to the vanguard of the flock. But since the raid can last from several hours to a couple of days, those who arrived later pounce on everything that the pioneers had not eaten: fruit trees, weeds, food and textiles plant origin. During this feast, noise from the movement of many jaws is heard everywhere. Each insect absorbs about 300 g of food during its life - it seems like a little, but if you consider that swarms of locusts number in the millions and billions of individuals, then the scale of losses is agriculture simply colossal. When the flock flies away, the place of the feast turns into lifeless land, on which the bare remains of trees stick out like sad monuments to human grief.

Due to their fecundity and early maturation, locusts are often the subject of laboratory research.

It is noteworthy that one of the oldest descriptions of locusts is given in the Bible, where they are succinctly mentioned as one of the “ten plagues of Egypt.” Its invasions often led to an acute shortage of food and feed and, as a consequence, to famine, loss of livestock, and a weakening of the military and economic power of entire states. On top of that, locust swarms were associated with the spread of “pestilences,” including the plague. Scientists deny such a connection, because locusts are not carriers of plague bacilli, but the answer can be found in reports from the 17th-19th centuries. The chroniclers of these centuries were more talkative than biblical scholars and left us a description of an interesting detail - unpleasant odor, which accompanied the locust raids. The source of the smell was not living insects, but the corpses of those that were crushed and died a natural death after laying eggs. Since one swarm of locusts could number billions of individuals, such an accumulation of decaying biomass attracted flies and rats, which were precisely the carriers of infections.

One of the largest locust raids on the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott in 2012 was associated with the overthrow of Gaddafi in neighboring Libya - in the revolution-stricken country they stopped paying attention to the fight against this pest.

It is not surprising that people perceived locust plagues as the ultimate punishment sent by God. In ancient times, they were completely unable to withstand such a disaster, and since the Middle Ages, attempts have been made to restrain the advance: they tried to scare off the locusts with smoke and sulfur, lit fire barriers in the path of the walking swarms, crushed them with their feet and hooves of cattle, and beat them with everything they could get their hands on. In the 20th century, vacuum cleaners and flamethrowers were added to these methods. But the multitude of locusts overpowered everything.

Some species of locusts have wings that are completely covered with patterns so that they resemble the wings of a butterfly.

The example of Ukraine is very indicative, where in past centuries locusts were a common insect in the south of the country. It multiplied in reed beds in the Dnieper delta, from where it made devastating raids on the agricultural central regions, sometimes reaching Poland and Lithuania. After the plowing of virgin steppes and the introduction of crop rotation, many eggs began to die during cultivation, and now locusts are rare here.

Reed beds in deltas of large rivers are natural reservoirs where locusts hatch. This photo shows the formation of a flock.

An even more impressive example is the Rocky Mountain locust ( Melanoplus spretus). This is the only native locust species in North America, whose breeding grounds were at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and from where it raided the plains states of Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Minnesota. American farmers were unable to defeat these hordes until the foothills were plowed, as a result of which these locusts... became extinct!

However, this is the only type of locust that has suffered such a fate - all the others are quite prosperous and numerous. Outside of agricultural areas, these insects play a significant role in ecosystems, as they serve as food for many species of birds and animals: guinea fowl, partridges, small falcons, kites, secretary birds, ravens, crows, bustards, meerkats, wild pigs, warthogs. There have often been cases of locusts being eaten by herbivorous ungulates, but researchers differ in their assessment of this phenomenon. Some say that wild antelopes and livestock readily take advantage of such random feeding, while others testify that livestock deaths have been reported after eating locusts.

The stony phymateus (Phymateus saxosus), native to Madagascar, is poisonous due to the toxic sap of the milkweeds on which it feeds.

By the way, the Bible reveals to us another curious fact: in the Gospel of Matthew it is mentioned that John the Baptist, living as a hermit in the desert, ate locusts and wild honey. Few people guess what kind of locusts these are? And this is nothing more than locusts. The abundance of these insects in the Middle East has long prompted people to find them at least some useful application, therefore, the ancient Jews and Arabs often ate locusts, especially during their raids. It no longer occupies such a prominent place in modern Middle Eastern cuisine, but is a common product in China and Thailand.

Locust tissues contain practically no fat, but are rich in protein and minerals, which puts them in the category dietary products. Culinary value The high calorie content also adds to it. The methods of preparing these insects have not changed over many centuries. Most often, caught locusts are boiled until softened, and then fried in oil with salt and spices; if they want to store them for future use, then after boiling the insects are dried, sprinkled with salt. Locusts cooked this way become crispy and taste like a cross between chicken and potato chips (or roasted chestnuts).

It is sold by weight or strung on sticks; before consumption, it is customary to tear off the hard legs, wings and head of the locust.

When forming a huge flock, the insect can eat all the vegetation that may be encountered on its way. The total weight of plants eaten per day is equal to the pest’s own weight, but the average flock destroys 3-4 tons of greenery every day.

In addition, the diet expands over the years - how older insect, the more omnivorous it becomes.

Maybe have:

• Reed and reed thickets along the banks of rivers, ponds, lakes, swamps;
• Any cereals- wheat, oats, corn, rye, barley, millet, sorghum and others. With less appetite, the insect destroys flax, buckwheat, and hemp;
• Vegetables- soybeans, table and sugar, and others;

• Orchards- the pest can eat both leaves and fruits and gnaw the bark of young trees;
• Landings- berries, petioles, grape leaves are eaten;
• , melons- watermelons, sunflower planting;
• Individually growing trees, shrubs, grass, including entire forests.

When locusts invaded a settlement or village, a reed or thatched roof and wooden household furnishings were often destroyed. In arid areas, the pest can feed on any dried grass and leaves.

How does the oral apparatus work?

The locust's mouthparts are gnawing, it is intended for feeding solid foods. This type is the original one, and from it other forms of mouth structure in other insects arise. The gnawing apparatus contains the most complete set of elements - the upper and lower lips, and two pairs of upper and lower jaws.

With help upper lip the insect determines the suitability of the item being eaten for consumption. The upper jaws move in a horizontal plane, bite off a small piece and grind it into smaller pieces. Highly mobile the lower jaws push crushed food into the esophagus.

In addition to the feeding function, the upper and lower jaws can be used by insects for protection in battle with the enemy.

Do locusts bite?

Very often it is confused with grasshoppers. Although they have a similar appearance, they also have fundamental differences:

• The grasshopper has long whiskers that help it find prey (the locust has short whiskers);
• The grasshopper leads a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle (the locust is a day resident).

Since the grasshopper is a predator, it is he who can bite a person quite painfully, very often to the point of bleeding, with the introduction of a burning composition into the wound.

Do locusts have teeth? In this insect's mouthparts no teeth- it is a herbivore, not a carnivore. She will not specifically attack a person and try to harm him.

Nevertheless the jaws have quite a lot of strength necessary for quickly gnawing off pieces from hard plants. And when the self-preservation instinct is triggered, the pest can sensitively “pinch” the skin. If this happens, it is recommended to treat the bite site with hydrogen peroxide and iodine.

The locust also cannot sting - it does not have stings provided by nature.

This is a huge disaster for all farmers and gardeners. It moves in large flocks, quickly and feeds on any vegetation that is available to it.

Not only crops can be destroyed, but also trees, shrubs, reed and thatched roofs, wooden furniture. The locust has a gnawing oral apparatus, designed for biting and grinding hard food. She cannot bite or sting.

Photo

The consequences of a locust invasion in pictures:

Video review: giant locusts from Central America:

Locust diet

• Reed and reed thickets on the banks of rivers, ponds, lakes, swamps;
• Any cereal crops - wheat, oats, corn, rye, barley, millet, sorghum and others;

REFERENCE: Less popular: flax, buckwheat, hemp.

• Vegetable crops - legumes, beans, soybeans, table and sugar beets, potatoes and others;
• Fruit orchards. The pest eats leaves and fruits of plums, cherries, peaches, and pears. They also gnaw the bark of young trees;
• Grape plantings. They feed on berries, petioles, grape leaves;
• Cabbage, melons - pumpkins, melons, watermelons, sunflower plantings;
• Individually growing trees, shrubs, grass, as well as entire forest areas.

How does the oral apparatus work?

Locusts have gnawing mouthparts designed to consume solid food. This type is the original one, from which other forms of the structure of the oral apparatus in other insects originate. The gnawing apparatus consists of the most complete set of elements:

• Upper and lower lips;
• Of two pairs of upper and lower jaws.

Mouthparts of insects:

The upper lip helps the insect determine whether the item being eaten is suitable for consumption. The upper jaws move horizontally, gnawing small piece and grinding it into smaller pieces. With the help of strong movable lower jaws, crushed food is pushed into the esophagus.

The upper and lower jaws are not only intended for feeding; insects use them to protect themselves during a fight with an enemy.

Do locusts bite?

Locusts are often confused with grasshoppers.

However, despite the external similarity, they have significant differences:

• The grasshopper has longer antennae, which help in finding prey (the locust has shorter antennae);
• The grasshopper is mainly nocturnal (the locust is diurnal);
• The grasshopper is a predator that can bite a person quite painfully, even before blood appears, and injects a burning composition into the wound.

The mouthparts of this pest do not have teeth, since it is a herbivore and not a predator. Locusts never specifically attack people or try to harm them. However, their jaws have quite a lot of strength, allowing them to quickly bite off pieces of hard plants. When the instinct of self-preservation is triggered, locusts are able to tangibly “pinch” human skin. After this, it is necessary to treat the bitten area using hydrogen peroxide or iodine.

REFERENCE: The pest cannot sting because it does not have a sting.

Locusts are a great disaster for all gardeners and gardeners. Pests fly in huge flocks, they have a rapid reproduction process, and they destroy any vegetation available to them. They devour not only agricultural crops, but also trees, shrubs, reed and straw roofs, and wooden furniture. Locusts have gnawing mouthparts that are designed to bite off and grind solid food. The absence of teeth and stings prevents it from biting and stinging.

(living mainly in the south of Russia), Australian, Moroccan.

Locust development stages

In representatives of the locust family indirect embryo development.

The development of the embryo in the world of animals and insects is of two types:

• direct when a child differs from his parents only in smaller size and underdeveloped organs (mammals);
• indirect when a newborn baby (larva) differs in appearance from its parents.

In insects, the second type of development is also divided into 2 types:

• complete metamorphosis(transformation), when the females lay eggs, the larva hatches, grows until a certain period, then turns into a pupa. This “puppet” period is called the resting stage. Inside the pupa, absolutely all vital organs are rebuilt and the adult appearance of the insect is formed. This metamorphosis is characteristic of butterflies, flies, wasps, ;
• incomplete metamorphosis: absence of a “pupal stage”; the larva immediately takes on the appearance of an adult insect over the course of several molts. This metamorphosis is characteristic of grasshoppers and locusts.

Therefore, the statement that the locust has a chrysalis is incorrect and is simply a fallacy.

Locust breeding

How do locusts reproduce? The process goes like this: the male secretes and distributes a special hormonal substance around himself which attracts a female. Then he jumps on his partner, as if straddling her on top, and firmly attaches his genitals to her.

Then he lays spermatophore(sac with sperm) into the base of the ovipositor (the female organ, with strong teeth, which serves as a kind of gimlet that allows you to dig up the ground and bury the egg) of the female. Mating usually lasts quite a long time: from 2 to 14 hours.

Fertilized the female finds wet soil, with the help of the ovipositor makes holes in it and begins laying eggs. The locust secretes a special foamy sticky substance, the hard eggs develop, this period is usually about 12 days, there are usually 50-70 eggs in the egg capsule.

The newly born larva has to work hard to get out of the ground. To become an adult insect, the larva has to undergo 5 molts..

Having a constant presence, they can reproduce all year round. During her life, the female makes from 6 to 12 clutches of eggs..

Caring for the offspring: the locust cannot be called a caring mother, because unlike other insects (bees, wasps), which strive to place a supply of food in each cell (burrow) where the egg they laid is located, so that the hatched larva has something to eat, it leaves their future offspring to the mercy of fate.

All stages of reproduction in pictures:

Mating process

Laying eggs

Last moult

Forms of development

The uniqueness of this insect is that it has 2 forms of development:

• single(filly) - a form of development with sufficient food;
• gregarious. When the food supply runs low, fillies unite in flocks and fly in search of food. At the same time, their appearance changes, the size of the body and wings increases, this occurs through the friction of individuals against each other by the limbs on which a special organ is located.

The fillies turn into locusts, a real disaster for people, huge hordes of which in a matter of days can devour the entire harvest in the fields, orchards and vegetable gardens. Along the way, the females lay eggs, from which the next year they hatch not into fillies, but into locusts.