Locust, (family: Acrididae), group of insects that are distributed on the global scale, and mainly referred to the group of short-horned grasshoppers. The specie often increases in numbers and migrate long-distances in destructive swarms. Normally, these grasshoppers are not harmful and do not pose serious threat to agriculture. However, under suitable conditions of drought followed by rapid vegetation growth, a dramatic set of changes happens under the influence of serotonin. For example, they start to breed abundantly and become migratory, when the population become dense enough.
Recently, East Africa, is dealing with worst outbreak of desert locusts, which are known for forming swarms that can be highly dense and mobile. These insects destroy crops and cause major agriculture damage and attendant human miser— famine and starvation. A desert locust swarm can be 400 square miles in size and therefore, a swarm of such size would eat 423 million pounds of plants every day. The desert locusts are eating the vegetation that supports vibrant herder communities in the region and 13 million people already facing severe food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. The spraying of chemicals to control the locust invasion is difficult because of the vastness and inaccessibility of areas, supply of chemicals on the large-scale, and the chemicals can interfere with water supply used for drinking and washing. Natural predators such as wasps, birds and reptiles measures can be adopted to combat the outbreak.
References:
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20200218-desert-locusts-plague-spreads-across-east-africa
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 