Locusts Are Usually Solitary Insects

Locusts swarm in huge groups.

Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers found worldwide except Antarctica.

Most locust species are solitary and do not cause harm.

Drought followed by rapid plant growth triggers locust swarming.

Serotonin in locust brains changes color and behavior fast.

Wingless nymph bands form first and then become flying swarms.

Swarms can reach 80 million locusts per square kilometer.

Juvenile desert locusts bite each other to keep moving forward.

Locust swarms quickly strip fields of green plants and crops.

Desert locusts are powerful fliers traveling great distances.

Rocky Mountain locusts once swarmed North America but are extinct.

Ancient Egyptians carved locusts on their tombs.

Modern locust control uses insecticides and new biological methods.

Crowding triggers locusts to become gregarious and nomadic.

Triggered by drought and rapid plant growth, locusts swarm in huge groups.