How are locust swarms and plagues controlled?

Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers that can transition from harmless solitary insects into destructive, gregarious swarms under specific environmental conditions. Managing these infestations historically relied on traditional ground or aerial insecticides, but modern approaches also incorporate biological control methods and international surveillance networks. Early warning systems and cooperative monitoring help authorities detect population surges before they develop into widespread agricultural plagues.

What we know

• Under suitable conditions of drought followed by rapid vegetation growth, serotonin in locust brains triggers behavioral changes that make them gregarious and nomadic. [2]
• Traditional locust control measures use insecticides applied from the ground or air, while newer biological control methods are also proving effective. [2]
• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Desert Locust Information Service routinely monitors populations through international collaborative efforts to provide global early warnings. [3]
• Changes in agricultural practices and better surveillance of breeding grounds have allowed control measures to be applied at an early stage, decreasing overall swarming behavior in the 20th century. [2]

Still open

• Despite modern surveillance and control methods, it remains difficult to completely prevent plagues when suitable weather conditions occur and regional vigilance lapses.

Where to go next

• how it workedWhat triggers solitary grasshoppers to form destructive swarms?
• how we knowHow does the Desert Locust Information Service forecast plagues?
• what followedWhat crop damages and famines have historical plagues caused?
• the bigger pictureHow do short-horned grasshoppers relate to the family Acrididae?
• compared withHow does the desert locust differ from other migratory pests?
• an unexpected connectionHow do carob trees connect to agricultural pest management?Carob tree seeds produce locust bean gum used in food processing, while the same trees are associated with the locust bean moth, which requires modern pheromone mating disruption techniques similar to insect control strategies.

Sources

• [1]locust (Wikidata Q83931) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Locust · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Desert locust · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Carob · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Ectomyelois ceratoniae · CC BY-SA 4.0