During the time of the prophet Moses, although in fact this insect struck terror into people before. Mention of locusts is found in Sumerian writings dating back 8,000 years ago. The plague of locusts and the famine that it entails was a real disaster for humanity, comparable to wars, pestilence and floods.

Flying monster

Swarms of locusts are the largest in nature. A record number of these insects was observed in the west in 1874.

Locust clouds covered 500,000 km 2, an area equal to two states of Colorado.

According to preliminary estimates, the number of locusts in this swarm was 12.5 trillion, weighing 25 million tons. If a swarm of locusts catches a fair wind, it can cover a distance of 500 kilometers in just 24 hours.

In one day, one locust can eat as much as its own weight. In 1988, a small swarm of locusts from Africa flew across the Atlantic and overran the Caribbean.

However, nature is not able to constantly satisfy such exorbitant appetites, so the new generation of locusts has to be content with a more modest diet. But there comes a time when the locusts again unite in a swarm, preparing for new invasions.

Favorable conditions

The locust belongs to the family of true locusts ( Acrididae) from the suborder Orthoptera. When there is an abundance of food, it leads a solitary lifestyle, but under certain conditions (usually when there is a lack of food in hot, dry years) it begins to reproduce so intensively that too much of it accumulates in one place. Some generations die from lack of food, while others gather in flocks.

Due to the conflict with its “neighbors,” the hormonal balance of the locust changes. The nymphs acquire not a green, protective color, but a black and yellow color and go in search of new sources of food. Gradually the flock grows - more and more individuals join it. Individual members of the flock obey the movements of their closest neighbors. When the number of insects becomes high enough, the flock turns into a well-coordinated squad, moving in a single stream. Thus begins the invasion.

During the “march,” the nymphs molt and turn into winged, sexually mature individuals. Usually the flock moves during the daytime. As darkness falls, insects land and begin to consume food. There are only a few types of terrain that are immune to locust infestations. So, she does not fly in the rain and stays away from the jungle - she does not like the leaves of tropical trees. Locusts are capable of rising to a height of about 2000 m, but not higher - it is too cold there, so the swarm cannot overcome mountain ranges.

Migratory locusts do not always form swarms. Usually she leads the lifestyle of a harmless “grasshopper”.

There are billions of locusts in one swarm. They usually appear after dark, and by morning there is nothing left of the crops.

One locust eats only 2g of food per day, but a swarm of a billion insects consumes 200 tons!

a brief description of

Name: migratory or Asian locust
Latin name: Locusta migratoria.
Size: up to 5.5 cm.
Method of movement: jumps and flies.
Geography: Asia, Africa, sometimes Europe.
Food: green plants.
Lifestyle: crowded, gregarious.
Life expectancy of locusts: 5 months.

Class: Insects - Insecta

Squad: Orthoptera – Orthoptera

Family: True locusts - Acrididae

Genus: – Locusta

Migratory locust or Asian locust(Locusta migratoria L.) is a polyphagous pest found in Asia, northern Africa and southern Europe.

Morphology of migratory locusts

The insect is large, has a body measuring 30-50 mm, females are slightly larger - 45-55 mm. Body color is brown-green, gray-green, brown-olive. The elytra are oblong, narrow, with a yellow tint or green in frequent dark spots or points. The wings are fan-shaped, wide, with a green or yellow tint, the edges of the wings are darkened, and at the top they are colorless. The chest is covered with light hairs.

There are two phases - solitary and gregarious. In the solitary phase, which is common in the northern regions of the range, the pronotum does not have a constriction in the middle, the middle carina is arched and high. In the gregarious form, living in the southern regions of the range, the pronotum is saddle-shaped, the middle carina is concave or straight. The capsule is slightly curved or straight, large in size (up to 85 mm in length and up to 10 mm in diameter). The egg capsule is a column of light pink secretion in which the female lays eggs. Each egg capsule contains 40-120 eggs yellow color, 7-8 mm in size, thin, narrowed at both ends. The eggs are arranged in four longitudinal rows, at an angle of 40-45° to the wall of the egg capsule. After laying, the upper side of the egg capsule is in the soil at a depth of 5-7 cm.

Life cycle of the Asian locust

The pest overwinters in the egg stage in a capsule. In May, larvae emerge from the eggs in a white film; after a couple of hours they darken and begin to feed on vegetation. In its development, the larva goes through five instars, each of which differs in the degree of development of the wing primordia and in the number of segments on the antennae. The adult locust actively feeds and 30-40 days after mating, the female migratory locust begins to lay eggs. Each female lays on average three egg capsules (up to 350 eggs). The adult dies in October.

The greatest activity of locusts occurs in the morning and evening.

As mentioned earlier, the Asian locust has gregarious and solitary phases. During the gregarious phase, the larvae unite and form clusters called bands. During the years of mass reproduction, swarms can occupy huge areas, up to a couple of thousand hectares, and fly long distances, up to 50 km, while the locusts eat everything in their path, often leaving behind empty pastures and fields. Migratory locust adults, uniting in swarms, can fly over distances of up to 300 km, and with a strong tailwind, up to 1000 km.

Outbreaks with mass reproduction of locusts last for several years. On average, the interval between population peaks is 10-15 years.

The locust is very dangerous pest, since both larvae and adults roughly eat leaves, stems and generative organs, which can completely destroy plants. One individual locust can eat up to 500 g of green plant matter.

The number of pests in different years reduce various pathogens that affect eggs in egg capsules, and entomophages that destroy larvae and adults.

Methods of protection against migratory locusts

Agrotechnical and organizational and economic control methods include autumn deep plowing, which will help get rid of the wintering form. It is also necessary to reduce possible egg-laying sites, that is, to develop virgin soil, improve forest belts, fight weeds not only in the field, but also beyond it, and get rid of plant residues.

Chemical method of combating migratory locusts

Treatment of large areas is carried out using aviation 20-30 minutes before sunrise, if the wind speed does not exceed 3 m/s. With evening pollination, less efficiency is observed.

To combat a single phase of locusts, poisoned baits are used. To prepare them, you need horse or sheep manure as bait, 12% hexachlorane dust at a rate of 200-400 g and 5-10 liters of water per 10 kg of manure. Baits can be introduced by aircraft, machines or manually.

Chemicals can be used to control the pest regardless of the time of year (from spring to autumn), but it is most effective to treat with insecticides in the spring, before sowing crops. The procedure is repeated a second time in case of a massive pest invasion.

Insecticides of the synthetic pyrethroid group are effective in the fight against migratory locusts: Fastak, Karate Zeon, Tsunami, Arrivo, Gladiator, Taran and others. When protecting against locusts, as a rule, take the maximum dosages allowed by the instructions of the drugs.

If there are older larvae, it is recommended to add organophosphorus insecticides (Fufanon, in an amount of 50% of the maximum dosage) to the solution.

During a locust invasion, the most effective drugs are imidacloprid-based - Confidor, Tanker, Image. They protect crops from pests for several weeks.

Dimilin (active ingredient Diflubenzuron 250 g/kg, wettable powder).

The uniqueness of this insecticide lies in its special mechanism of action: it inhibits the growth of insects - it stops the process of formation of chitin in the body of the larvae, as a result of which the molting process is disrupted and the death of the pest occurs.

The advantages of this drug are: low toxicity to humans, warm-blooded animals and beneficial insect fauna; rapid decomposition in water and soil; long aftereffect period (up to 40 days).

To protect against locusts, insecticide is applied when the pest is in the larval stage of development. The application rate of the drug is 0.14 kg/ha. Used in pastures, areas with wild vegetation, gardens and forest belts.

Migratory locust lays eggs photo

Migratory locust - Locusta migratoria

Locust video

The locust is an insect - has several species and belongs to the family “True Locusts”. This type of pest is capable of living alone and also in groups.

According to scientists, swarms of locusts can reach several million individuals, which in their numbers can darken the sky of several square kilometers.

Appearance

The length of the elongated body of the insect is from 1 to 7 cm; in fact, the size depends on the type of locust. But this is not the limit, there are individuals that are classified as migratory pests and their size can reach up to 22 cm in length.

The color depends on the type of locust; some individuals also have different patterns on their body. Its body color varies from dirty yellow to brick red.

The eyes are black or dark brown, their size is impressive and crescent shaped. The wings have powerful veins and their color is transparent.

The thighs and tibiae of the hind legs are pinkish in color with membranous stripes with a black color; they are very well developed; also, the hind wings of the insect may have a pinkish tint.

Place and habitat

Locust insects are found almost everywhere. The only places where you won't find them are harsh and cold places. Also, it must be said that this insect will not live in places where there is very little food.

The conclusion suggests itself that they can be found everywhere, from Europe to the western continent our vast Earth.

Nutrition

Many people are interested in whether locusts eat insects or not. We hasten to assure you that she is a purely herbivorous creature and her diet includes only grass and dew ( water that accumulates on plant stems).

Locusts, leading a solitary lifestyle, are not a pest for meadows or fields that are sown with valuable crops. She eats almost all the grass, but in such quantities that it cannot cause serious damage to the breed and agriculture.

Over the course of her entire rather long and fruitful life, she can eat about three hundred and fifty grams of green food consisting of any plants.

But let's not forget that this type can quickly group into flocks of billions of individuals, which are capable of causing irreparable harm to an entire city or region.

In a few minutes, these pests gnaw out the entire living grass community to the base of the roots and immediately leave this place, thereby moving to new places for further feasting.

Lifestyle

As it is known that locusts can live in two phases, let's try to figure out what they are and how the phases differ from each other.

As mentioned earlier, insects of this species that lead a solitary, sedentary lifestyle do not harm agriculture. Actually, this is the first phase, which is completely controlled by man and nature.

The second phase is the accumulation of the most different types, locusts that hover at a fairly low altitude. From the outside it looks like a huge cloud that is about to cover you. At this time, their wings rub against each other and the intense flapping creates a sound or noise that is comparable to approaching thunder. The feeling at this moment that a person experiences is very unpleasant and leads to stress.

The main differences between locusts and grasshoppers

1. The locust is an exclusively herbivorous insect, unlike the grasshopper, since its diet includes not only grass food, but the flesh of other types of insects.
2. The whiskers and limbs of grasshoppers are much longer than those of our character.
3. Locusts prefer to lead an active lifestyle during daylight hours, while our opponents are active at dusk and throughout the night.
4. The method of reproduction is also significantly different; grasshoppers lay their eggs on plant stems or under the bark of trees, and locusts lay their eggs in foliage or soil.

Reproduction

In tropical countries, locust insects can reproduce all year round, and in places with temperate climate only in the warm season.

In order for an adult to form, it needs to go through three developmental phases:

• Egg;
• Larva;
• Adult;

IN autumn period the female insect begins the process of splitting off the future offspring into a special pouch. Laying is carried out in favorable places such as: fallen leaves or soil.

The number of eggs in one egg capsule (bag) can exceed more than 120 pieces. What is most characteristic is that on 1 square meter can concentrate more than 2000 bags of masonry.

After traditional events, the female dies. Overwintered offspring with the onset of warm spring days, the larvae begin to burst. Almost the same locusts emerge from them, only without wings.

It should be noted that development depends on the climate; in southern countries, the period of development to adulthood can take up to 15 days, and in areas with cooler climates up to 45 days. The entire development process is accompanied by periodic molting.

Types of locust insects

In this article we have described only general characteristics these insects, but I would like to list at least a few species for the overall picture.

So let's get started, the first species on our list will be the locust by name:

• Moroccan (Dociostaurus maroccanus);
• Asian migratory bird (Locusta migratoria);
• Italian (Calliptamus italicus);
• Desert (Schistocerca gregaria);
• Rainbow (Phymateus saxosus);
• Siberian filly (Gomphocerus sibiricus);
• Egyptian filly (Anacridium aegyptium);
• Blue-winged filly (Oedipoda caerulescens);

This is a completely immodest list, although if we compare other types of insects, it is more or less modest.

Lifespan

The locust insect lives from 8 months to two years, this again depends on the climate and habitat of the species.

• In some countries in Southeast Asia, locusts are a delicacy. Tourists specially reserve seats in restaurants to taste the magnificent masterpieces of exotic dishes that local chefs bring to life.
• At the epicenter of an insect infestation, one can observe and feel the frightening sound noise that these pests make.
• Gathered in groups of many billions, they can destroy crops, crops and steppe meadows in just a few minutes.
• They are distributed throughout the globe except the North Pole.

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 different countries A long-term scientific project is being carried out.

At normal reproduction rates, migratory steppe locusts are peaceful, sedentary insects that cause no 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 are white in color, 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 sexual maturity, 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 in black and white colors, below - bluish-green. 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.

The filly is an insect from the Orthoptera order of the superfamily Locusts. Their closest relatives are grasshoppers and crickets.

Appearance of fillies

To date, more than 3,800 species of these insects are known. There are more than six hundred species of them in Russia alone.

The grasshopper is an insect very similar to a grasshopper. She has the same arrangement of her hind legs: with the knee raised high above the body. Both fillies and grasshoppers have hard wing covers on their backs. And on the head of both types of insects there are antennae. Even the fillies chirp almost like grasshoppers, only much louder!

In fact, it is difficult for an ignorant person to determine at first glance who is in front of him. The grasshopper and the grasshopper (insect) are very similar. The photo of both only confirms this.

But nevertheless, differences exist. You just need to look closely. They are mainly due to the fact that insects lead completely different lifestyles.

Feeding fillies

On a clear, warm day, you can often scare away from the grass a flock of insects that look like grasshoppers. But we can say with confidence that these are locusts. After all, grasshoppers are predominantly nocturnal, and during the day they hide somewhere. Only with the onset of darkness do these predators go hunting.

And the filly (insect) feeds on vegetation. Therefore, there is no need for her to wait for the night. Moreover, it is worth noting that this herbivorous insect easily adapts to eating any plants: their leaves, seeds, fruits, and in some cases, stems.

Damage caused by fillies to agriculture

Many people believe that fillies are quite harmless. After all, although they belong to locusts, they are solitary insects. However, in 1939, a senior researcher at the Chelyabinsk stronghold of the All-Union Institute of Plant Protection, K. N. Filatov, compiled a report on the study of the dynamics of non-gregarious locusts, that is, fillies.

His research proved how dangerous the filly can be for Agriculture. According to documentary data, in the years 1883-1892, these voracious insects regularly destroyed crops over vast areas in the Kurgan district. This was a real disaster for the peasants. And only in 1892 did people en masse go out hunting by hand. With the help of special canopies, they managed to catch 155,951 pounds of fillies!

Local historians say that in 1894, when the last insect was buried in the ground, the owner of the Balakshin molasses plant erected a monument at his own expense in honor of this event. Unfortunately, it has not survived to this day.

Fighting fillies

If you notice this harmful insect in your garden or garden, you should try to reduce the number of fillies by frequent sprinkling. High humidity air has a negative effect on their reproduction.

Treating plants with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture helps get rid of fillies. Feeding on plants that have been sprayed with poison, insects die within 1-3 days.

To prevent it from happening again next year, you must mow down all the plants on the roadsides in the fall, plow the soil deeply and harrow it. This will destroy the filly's eggs laid in the ground.

There is another way - to breed hedgehogs on your property. For whom fillies and other pests of gardens and vegetable gardens are a joy! At the same time, these prickly predators will destroy slugs and mice along with the fillies, if they decide to settle on the site.

External differences between fillies and grasshoppers

From the above it is clear why these insects should not be confused. After all, grasshoppers eat larvae and harmful insects, bringing benefits to humans. And the filly, on the contrary, is itself a pest, destroying the crop. That’s why it’s so important to know how they can be distinguished by appearance.

Compared to the grasshopper, the grasshopper is an insect with a sedentary head. Her muzzle is blunt, with powerful jaws.

It is known that grasshoppers belong to the Long-whiskered suborder, and grasshoppers belong to the Short-whiskered suborder. This is understandable. After all, the filly does not have to look for a victim with their help. She does not need to hunt for food, tracking down her prey.

The filly is an insect that has an oblong abdomen, longer than that of a grasshopper. This is due to the fact that the volume of food that she has to digest is quite large.

The front legs serve the filly only as a support, while the grasshopper uses them to catch and hold the prey. Therefore, in a herbivorous insect these limbs are weaker and shorter. The hind legs are also less developed in fillies. Therefore, its jumps are not as far as those of a grasshopper.

The females of these insects have more pronounced differences. The female grasshopper has a rather large sword-shaped ovipositor at the back. In the filly it is short and practically invisible to the human eye. She lays eggs directly in the soil.

in fillies

Not everyone knows that many insects do not hear with their ears, as is common among mammals, birds and reptiles. For example, grasshoppers use their legs for this purpose. Their hearing organs are located on the shins of the front legs.

The fillies completely hid their “ears.” Their auditory organs are located on the sides of the abdomen, in the area of ​​the first segment.

Sound production organs in fillies

On a hot afternoon, loud chirping can be heard in the fields and meadows. Usually people smile when they hear these sounds and say: “That’s how the grasshoppers started chattering!” But this is a wrong judgment!

Grasshoppers by nature sit quietly during the day. Therefore it is impossible to hear them. Either locusts or grasshoppers chirp in broad daylight. Moreover, only males do this. In this “musical” way they attract females. There is a second explanation for the loud chirping of male fillies. With their sounds they warn other males that the given territory is already occupied.

Fillies produce their sounds by rubbing the tubercles located on the thighs of their hind legs against the vein under the elytra.

Coloring of fillies

An interesting fact is that the color of locusts depends not on the species, but on environment. If there is a lot of bright greenery around the growing insect, you will get a green filly. An insect that lives in the steppe, where there is less greenery but a lot of brown soil on which to move, will become gray-brown in color.

Although the lower wings of some species are brightly colored. For example, in the blue-winged and red-winged filly, in addition to the protective coloring of the elytra, there is also a method of protection from enemies.

Anticipating the approaching danger, they suddenly soar upward with noise, revealing their bright wings. And a moment later they go down again. From the outside it looks like bright fireworks.