Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is a migratory pest whose gregarious hoppers and swarms forage on most types of vegetation. It undergoes incomplete metamorphosis through egg, hopper and adult stages within 3 months under optimal weather conditions. An adult Desert locust lays 60–80 eggs 10-15cm below the ground surface in moist soil. The eggs take about 14 days to hatch. Gregarious hoppers undergo 5 instar stages in 6 weeks under conducive weather. The last hopper instar stage is called fledgling and gives rise to pick immature adults that take 3–4 weeks to sexually mature into bright yellow adults. Gregarious adult swarms can fly up to 200km in a day and hence the pest poses a serious transboundary threat to food and nutrition security.
Desert Locust
