Latin name: Schistocerca gregaria
Locusts are large herbivorous insects that can be serious pests of agriculture due to their ability to form dense and highly mobile swarms. They are species of short-horned grasshoppers that periodically form large populations in dense migrating groups, where individuals differ in several characteristics from those living separately.
Locusts undergo incomplete or direct metamorphosis. Unlike in insects such butterflies or moths, there is no pupal stage and juveniles are similar in appearance to adults.
There are three main stages of development - egg, nymph and adult. The nymph or hopper stage can be further divided into growth stages called instars, with a moult between each. The following diagram shows the life cycle of the Australian plague locust which has five instar stages. The times given for development are approximate for optimum conditions during summer.
SOLUTION:
- Contact: Apparent Surround
Reference: About locusts - DAFF (agriculture.gov.au)
