What Are Locusts And Why Are They Dangerous?

Locusts look like a grasshopper. They don't have much difference except their behavior. Locusts are solitary insects; however, due to drought followed by a rapid increase in vegetation, their serotonin levels increases.

As a result, they breed more often than they used to do. Locusts are infesting farms for thousands of years. This is not a new phenomenon, but this is as destructive as it was before.

During the 20th century, there has been a steady decline in locust infestation; however, recently, their numbers have started increasing. Since locusts breed a lot, their population grows very fast. The more they breed, the more their population increases.

A large population means they need more food. Locusts travel from one place to another in search of food, and since their number is so large, they often destroy vegetation and crops in all the places they visit.

Their swarm can be 1 km wide, and there can be thousands of locusts. It's tough to stop a locust from infesting a certain place, but there is a protective measure that can be taken in order to prevent some damage.

One of these ways is Row cover. A row cover can be used to cover the entire farm, and that will stop locusts from eating the crops. It can be expensive, but this a very effective remedy that can stop locusts from completely demolishing farms.

Once the locusts fail to eat the crops, they will fly away to other regions. The constant need to feed prevents them from staying at a place where there is no food, and since they won't be able to eat the crops, this behavior will get triggered, and they will fly away.