When forming a huge flock, the insect can eat all the vegetation that can be found in its path. 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 daily.

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

Maybe have:

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

• orchards- the pest can eat both leaves and fruits, and gnaw at the bark on young trees;
• Landings- berries, petioles, grape leaves are eaten;
• , gourds-, watermelons, sunflower plantings;
• Individually growing trees, shrubs, grass, including entire forests.

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

How is the oral apparatus arranged?

The mouthparts of the locust are gnawing, it is designed to be fed with solid food. This type is primordial, and from it come other forms of the structure of the mouth in other insects. The gnawing apparatus contains the most complete set of elements - upper and lower lips, and two pairs of upper and lower jaws.

With the help of the upper lip, the insect determines the suitability of the eaten object for eating. The upper jaws move in a horizontal plane, bite off a small piece and grind it into smaller pieces. highly mobile mandibles push crushed food into the esophagus.

In addition to the function of nutrition, the upper and lower jaws can be used by insects for protection in a fight with the enemy.

Do locusts bite?

It is often confused with grasshoppers. While similar in appearance, they also have cardinal differences:

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

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

Do locusts have teeth? In this insect in the mouth apparatus no teeth It's herbivorous, not carnivorous. She will not specifically attack a person and try to harm him.

However jaws are strong enough necessary for quickly gnawing off pieces from solid plants. And when the instinct of self-preservation is triggered, the pest can sensitively “pinch” the skin. If this happens, it is recommended to treat the bite site with hydrogen peroxide, iodine.

The locust also cannot sting - its sting is not provided for by nature.

This is a huge disaster for all farmers and gardeners. She moves in large flocks, is fast and feeds on any vegetation that is available to her.

Not only crops can be destroyed, but also trees, shrubs, reed and thatched roofs, wooden furniture. Locusts have chewing mouthparts designed to bite and grind solid food. She cannot bite or sting.

A photo

The consequences of the invasion in pictures:

Locusts - friend or foe?

One of the sweet signs of a hot summer day is the deafening crackling of locusts and the melodious roulades of grasshoppers... But when the abundance of insects increases by orders of magnitude, these sounds indicate a catastrophe, ecological and economic. No wonder the locust has already gained fame as one of the "plagues of Egypt": "And the locust attacked all the land of Egypt, and lay down in great numbers throughout the land of Egypt; before there was no such locust, and after this there will be no such."

For many decades, scientists from different countries have been trying to unravel the mysteries of these insects, known since biblical times. Why, for example, some locust species remain rare, while the number of others can increase significantly? Why do individuals of some species at the peak of their numbers dramatically change their appearance? Until now, there are no answers to all questions, but it was possible to find out that eating crops by these pests turns out to be a boon for natural grassy 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."
Psalter, Psalm 104

Steppe. Hot summer day. The deafening crackling of locusts and roulades of grasshoppers... It is at such a time that you realize how many of these "singing in the grass" are so sweet to hear. But when the abundance of some of them increases by orders of magnitude, this is already a catastrophe, ecological and economic.

For many decades, scientists from different countries have been trying to unravel the mysteries of these insects known since biblical times. Why, for example, some locust species remain rare, while the number of others can increase significantly? Why do some of them form huge flocks from time to time? Until now, far from all such questions have answers ...

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

Many of the Orthoptera are highly visible in their 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 songbirds we are used to, 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, dried.

But still, we remember them much more often 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 locust attacked all the land of Egypt...

The development of agriculture over the past ten thousand years is inextricably linked with the regular incursions of locusts into cultivated fields. Images of one of the most famous pest species - the desert locust - are found in the tombs of the first Egyptian pharaohs. Assyro-Babylonian cuneiform tablets testify to the damage caused by the desert locust.

The locust is mentioned dozens of times in the Bible, mostly as a creature hostile to humans. No wonder she earned the glory of one of the apocalyptic “Egyptian plagues”: “And the locust attacked all the land of Egypt, and lay down all over the land of Egypt in great numbers; before there was no such locust, and after this there will be no such” (Exodus, 10, 14).

The inhabitants of Ancient Russia also faced the mass reproduction of this pest. Thus, the Tale of Bygone Years describes a terrible picture that was observed at the end of the 11th century: “The locust came on August 28 and covered the earth, and it was scary to look, it went to the northern countries, devouring grass and millet.”

Since then, little has changed. So, during the invasion of locusts in 1986-1989. In North Africa and the Middle East, almost 17 million hectares of agricultural land were treated with chemical insecticides, and the total cost of 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). Under favorable conditions, they form kuligi– huge concentrations of larvae, the density in which can exceed 1000 ind./m 2 . Kuligi, and then swarms of adults, can actively migrate, sometimes over very long distances (there are known cases of flights of a swarm of locusts across the Atlantic Ocean).

Fortunately, only a few species are capable of reaching catastrophic numbers. First, it is the desert 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 markedly 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 abundance 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.

Fertility Creators

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 in their path. But their non-herd relatives (who are often called filly and skates), as well as their distant relatives from the Orthoptera order, can also reproduce in large numbers and destroy the vegetation cover both in natural ecosystems and in fields.

But should these insects be considered only the punishment of mankind? In fact, as herbivores, they are an essential element of food webs in grassy ecosystems, primarily in the steppes, prairies, semi-deserts, and savannahs. This role, not so obvious, was noted in the biblical texts: “The locusts ate the locust leftover, the worms ate the worms leftover, and the beetles ate the worms leftover” (Book of the Prophet Joel, 1, 4).

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

Such gluttony of these insects paradoxically turns out to be a boon 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 of locusts, leaves and stems of grasses are not so much digested as crushed and fragmented, and symbiotic intestinal microorganisms enrich these fragments. vitamins of group B. As a result, locust excrement turns into an 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 orthopterans can be enormous, their role in ensuring the normal functioning and sustainability of natural ecosystems, especially grassy ones, is colossal.

Is the person an enemy or a friend?

People have been trying to fight locusts for centuries. Until the beginning of the 20th century. quite simple methods were used: mechanical destruction, burning and plowing of egg-laying places.

Later, various chemicals began to be widely used, and over the past decades, the spectrum of insecticides has changed significantly: the infamous 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 external skeleton of insects), etc. .

However, despite the decrease in the overall toxicity and effective doses of new insecticides, the environmental problems of their use have not disappeared (primarily this applies to the death of other invertebrates). Biological preparations, biologically active substances and other similar means are deprived of these shortcomings, in many cases giving a good effect. However, the effect of such drugs does not appear immediately, and it is impossible to quickly suppress the outbreak of the pest with their help.

As a result, despite all the long and titanic efforts, including the massive use of DDT and large-scale plowing since the development of virgin lands, it has not yet been possible to solve the "locust" problem. However, in some cases, human impact on locusts and other orthoptera can have devastating consequences, and this applies not only to rare species with small ranges. So, according to the American researcher D. Lockwood, the 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 the river valleys, which began to be actively plowed up. As a result, today this species is considered completely extinct: its last representative was caught in 1903.

But there are also reverse examples: in a number of cases, human activity contributes not to a decrease, but to an increase in the number of orthoptera. Such a result is caused, for example, by overgrazing of livestock, the introduction of anti-erosion farming systems and an increase in the area of ​​fallows. So, in recent decades, in the southeast of Western Siberia, due to the use of anthropogenic landscapes, the ranges of the small cross, blue-winged filly, common lamina wing, etc. have been expanding.

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

singing in the grass

Locusts and their relatives from the order Orthoptera are in themselves an interesting object for research. So, 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 on the surface of the water like water striders, others swim quite well, even under water. A number of orthoptera (for example, bears) 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 quite certain groups of plants, and some of them even have a pronounced trophic specialization. Such gourmets can eat, for example, poisonous plants (wrestlers, hellebore, etc.) without harming their health. Grasshoppers, especially large ones, are dominated by predators or species with a mixed diet, while a significant part of the remaining orthoptera is able to process dead plant litter.

The adaptations of insects associated with reproduction are very interesting and diverse. This is especially true for the means of communication by which the sex of an individual can be recognized. Orthoptera males are unique in the variety of ways of making sounds: here is the interaction of the right and left elytra; hind limbs and upper side of elytra; hind limbs and underside of elytra; back thighs; a special Krauss organ; finally, just “gnashing” of the jaws. Sometimes females can also sing.

Species that are not able to make sounds often use signal coloration: in males, the hind wings, hind legs, and the inside of the hind femora, which insects display during courtship, are very brightly colored.

In most acridoids, after fertilization, the females lay a group of eggs in the soil, surrounded by a more or less strong shell. Such a masonry, by association with a traditional clay vessel, is called a egg-pod. Other orthoptera also lay their eggs directly into 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 their eggs in the resulting gap.

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

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

Two centuries at gunpoint

Locusts and their relatives have been actively studied over the past two centuries: the Orthoptera order was identified by P. A. Latrey as early as 1793. Researchers of the 19th century. they were mainly engaged in describing new forms and studying the individual development of these insects, but even then the first ecological observations appeared, including those of potentially harmful species.

In the XX century. these traditional lines have evolved: numerous new taxa have been identified, predominantly from tropical regions; the main patterns of distribution of Orthoptera have been established. But special attention was paid to ecology - intrapopulation interactions, dynamics of populations and communities, and the role in natural and anthropogenic landscapes.

An outstanding role in the study of locusts was played by our compatriots who worked both in the former USSR and abroad. So, a member of the English Royal Society and the founder 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 XX-beginning of the XXI centuries. researchers have the opportunity to obtain fundamentally new data on these insects using molecular genetic, biochemical and information methods. This is especially true of the mechanisms of transition from a solitary phase to a gregarious one and vice versa, 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 suppression of the next outbreak, when the danger to agriculture has passed.

Nevertheless, the data that have been obtained over the past years allow us to look at the locust problem from a fundamentally different point of view. Thus, it is traditionally believed that within the same natural region, the spatio-temporal dynamics of settlements of the same type is practically the same.

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

What determines such a 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 not similar to another, moreover, on each of them such important indicators for insects as moisture content, characteristics of soils and vegetation cover, 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 for other insects. And pest control can eventually lead to the death of rare species.

The information that scientists have today indicates that today people underestimate the problem of locusts and their relatives.

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

There is a need to develop appropriate applications of information technology, primarily geographic information systems and systems for remote sensing of the Earth. 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 the context of an increase in the frequency of climatic perturbations and the intensification of human activity that transforms 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 North Asia: fifty years later // Eurasian Entomological Journal. 2007. V. 6, No. 2. P. 129–141 + insert 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.

Of all plant pests, locusts are the most dangerous. If there are corners with unharvested field grasses in the country house, there you can always find a green filly - a lone locust, which over time will ensure the appearance of a winged form of locust. In 2000, an epiphytotic outbreak of locust breeding left the Volgograd region without a crop (1000-6000 individuals per square meter of area). In 2010, the pest reached the Urals and some regions of Siberia. The flight of the locust is terrible. Her flocks can number in the billions. When flying, they emit a characteristic sound that is frighteningly creaky near, and in the distance it resembles pre-storm thunder. After the locust, the bare ground remains.

Migratory locust, or Asiatic locust (Locusta migratoria). © Ralf

Locust spread

Family true locusts (Acrididae) includes up to 10,000 species, of which about 400 are distributed in the European-Asian range, including in the Russian Federation (Central Asia, Kazakhstan, south of Western Siberia, the Caucasus, south of the European part). Of the locusts, the most common and harmful for the Russian Federation is Asian locust or migratory locust (Locusta migratoria). There are two life phases: solitary and gregarious. The gregarious form of the locust is harmful. Representatives of the solitary phase occupy mainly the northern regions of the marked range, while the gregarious ones occupy the southern and warm Asian ones.

Locust severity level

An omnivorous pest, with the greatest feeding activity in the early morning and evening hours, when there is no heat peak. One individual eats up to 500 g of plants with different densities of vegetative and generative organs (leaves, flowers, young branches, stems, fruits). Covers distances up to 50 km per day. With a gap of 10-15 years, the locust forms huge flocks (bands) of adults, from the combined accumulations of larvae. During the period of mass reproduction, they are able to simultaneously occupy up to 2000 hectares and fly, feeding on the way, up to 300, and with a fair wind up to 1000 km, leaving bare ground with separately sticking out the remains of woody shoots and stems of plants.

Under natural conditions, over time, the number of pests decreases (the onset of cold, hunger, the work of natural entomophages). In swarms, the number of diseases that affect the pest in different phases of development, starting from the egg phase, increases. Restoration lasts 10-15 years and then a massive flight is repeated.

Morphological description of the locust

In appearance, locusts resemble grasshoppers and crickets. A visible distinguishing feature is the length of the antennae (in locusts they are much shorter) and the presence of a curved sharp keel on the pronotum, powerful jaws. The front wings are dense with brownish-brown spots, the hind wings are delicate transparent with a yellowish sometimes greenish tinge.

Locust development cycle

The life expectancy of an adult is from 8 months to 2 years. The locust lives and develops in two phases/stages - solitary and gregarious.

single phase

A single locust is distinguished by the overall size of its forms, has a green color, for which it received the name "green filly". She leads an inactive lifestyle and practically does no harm. The solitary phase of life for locusts is necessary for the conservation of the population. During this period, females intensively lay eggs. Gradually, the density of larvae increases and reaches a limit, which serves as a signal for the transition to the second stage of development and life.

gregarious phase

In the gregarious phase, female locusts begin to lay eggs programmed for a marching foraging program. The researchers suggest that the "call" is the lack of protein in the diet of adults. Adult adults of locusts gather in flocks, and larvae form dense swarms.

Locust breeding

Locusts usually die at the end of October with the onset of a steady cold. Before the onset of cold weather, the female lays eggs, forming winter apartments in the upper 10 cm layer of soil, which are called capsules. During the laying period, the female locust secretes a foamy liquid from the gonads, which quickly hardens, separating the eggs from the surrounding soil. In the course of laying eggs, the female forms several capsules (pods) with a lid, inside which she places 50-100 eggs, with a total of up to 300 or more. During the winter diapause, the eggs acquire cold resistance and do not freeze even in severe winters. With the onset of heat, the winter pause ends and in spring, with sufficient warming of the soil in the upper layer, a white larva appears from the egg. On the soil surface, after a few hours, it darkens, acquires an imago-like appearance (without wings), and begins to feed. Within 1.0-1.5 months, the larva goes through 5 instars and turns into an adult locust. Another month of enhanced feeding, and after mating, the female locust starts laying eggs. During the warm period, each female forms 1-3 generations.

According to the lifestyle of the locust, it belongs to the gregarious species. In years with sufficient food, moderately humid climate and average temperatures, single individuals do not cause great harm. But you need to take into account the cyclical nature of development and the transition from a solitary lifestyle to a herd. It appears after about 4 years. During this period, especially when coinciding with a hot, dry summer period for 2-3 years, the locust multiplies intensively, forming huge accumulations of larvae in a small area (bands). Outbreaks of mass reproduction, coinciding with weather conditions, can last for several years, gradually fading and moving back to a solitary form of life. The interval between epiphytoties averages 10-12 years.

Individuals of the herd form, trying to maintain the protein and water balance of their body, are forced to eat without interruption (otherwise they will die from their lack in the body). Moving in search of fresh food, they travel, as already noted, from 50 to 300 km per day. One individual is able to eat 200-500 g of green mass of plants and similar neighbors in a swarm. Protein deficiency turns the locust into a predator, and the swarm is conditionally divided into 2 groups. One runs away from relatives, the other catches up with them and eats them, and both "along the road of life" are reinforced by plants rich in carbohydrates. A natural gradual decrease in the pest population is caused by outbreaks of diseases in locust swarms at their high density, damage to eggs in egg-pods by various diseases, natural enemies of locusts (predatory insects, birds and other fauna).

Consequently, the most vulnerable place in the development of locusts is the increased density of egg deposition and the inception of larvae (per unit area). Locust swarms begin their flights at an increased density of pests. This means that it is necessary to initially destroy the clutches of eggs and the "islands" of larvae, plowing the land to reduce the density of pests. In summer cottages, the main role of population reduction is based on integrated pest control measures: agrotechnical measures + chemical treatment of soil and plants.

Locust control methods

Given the speed of movement, gluttony and the complete destruction of green plants along the path of the locust swarm, chemical control measures are used to destroy it, especially in large areas.

Locust control in a country house or a house adjoining area is mainly preventive and proactive and begins with agrotechnical measures, the thoroughness and timely implementation of which helps to significantly reduce the number of pests and prevent epiphytotic damage to the green world of plants.

Agrotechnical measures

In areas prone to locust attacks, late digging of the summer cottage or house area is necessary, in which the egg-pods with locust eggs are destroyed.

In alternative agriculture, unused areas must be grassed, which prevents the formation of egg-pods and the laying of eggs by female locusts.

Chemical control measures

All chemical treatments are best done in the morning. When working, observe personal safety measures, work in an appropriate suit, respirator, goggles, gloves. When working with chemicals, it is necessary to strictly follow the guidelines for the dilution and use of pesticides.

With a large accumulation of locust larvae in some areas, it is treated with Decis-extra, Karate, Confidor, Image, the validity of which lasts up to 30 days. Can be treated with all drugs that are used to combat the Colorado potato beetle.

The systemic insecticide Clotiamet-VDG provides plant protection against locusts for up to 3 weeks. After 2 hours, all pests die, the number of live hatched larvae decreases markedly. The product can be used in a tank mix with fertilizers and growth stimulants subject to mandatory compatibility testing.

Insecticide Gladiator-KE cleans larvae and adult locusts well. Use in the early hours when adults are in a daze. Doses of the drug vary depending on the age of the locust.

Damylin is an insecticide with a unique effect on the growth of the pest and the formation of chitin in the body of the larva during molts. As a result, the larvae die before reaching the age of an adult pest. Valid for up to 40 days. The drug is low toxic for humans and warm-blooded animals, quickly decomposes in water and soil.

Video Review: Giant Locust 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, pears. They also gnaw at the bark of young trees;
• Vine plantations. They feed on berries, petioles, grape leaves;
• Cabbage, gourds - pumpkins, melons, watermelons, sunflower plantings;
• Separately growing trees, shrubs, grass, as well as entire forests.

How is the oral apparatus arranged?

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

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

Mouth apparatus of insects:

The upper lip helps the insect to determine whether the object being eaten is fit for consumption. The upper jaws move horizontally, biting off a 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 for food, insects use them to protect themselves during a fight with the enemy.

Do locusts bite?

Locusts are often confused with grasshoppers.

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

• The grasshopper has longer antennae that help in the search for prey (locust antennae are shorter);
• The grasshopper is mostly nocturnal (locusts are diurnal);
• Grasshopper - a predator that can bite a person quite painfully, even before the appearance of blood, introduces a burning composition into the wound.

The mouth apparatus of this pest does not have teeth, since it is a herbivore, not a predator. Locusts never specifically attack people or try to harm them. However, their jaws are quite strong, allowing them to quickly gnaw off pieces from hard plants. When the instinct of self-preservation is triggered, the locust is able to noticeably "pinch" a person's skin. After this, it is necessary to treat the bitten place using hydrogen peroxide or iodine.

REFERENCE: The pest does not know how to sting, because it does not have a sting.

Locusts are a great scourge for all gardeners and gardeners. Pests fly in huge flocks, they have a fast breeding process, destroying any vegetation available to them. They devour not only agricultural crops, but also trees, shrubs, reed and straw roofs, and wooden furniture. The locust has a gnawing mouthpart, which is designed to bite off and grind solid food. The lack of teeth and sting does not allow her to bite and sting.