Australian Plague Locust

Chortoicetes terminifera · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae

Damages trees, gardens or crops. It damages pasture and can harm crops.

Adult Australian plague locusts are 20 to 45 mm long, with a head that sits higher than the thorax, an X-shaped mark on the thorax, reddish shanks on the legs, and clear wings marked by a dark peripheral spot. They live across inland grasslands and open woodlands of Australia, sometimes blown to coastal areas, and they feed on fresh green shoots after rain, damaging pasture and occasionally crops.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults range from about 20 mm to 45 mm (0.8 to 1.8 in) in length.

Source: Wikipedia

Is it a pest in the house?

They are less gregarious than other locusts, forming swarms that range from dense groups to scattered individuals, and their damage is mainly to pasture and occasionally crops.

Source: Wikipedia

How to get rid of it

The Australian Plague Locust Commission monitors and controls outbreaks using the insecticide fipronil and juvenile-stage growth regulators such as diflubenzuron. Diflubenzuron, developed by CSIRO and the LUBILOSA programme, now accounts for over 12 % of spray applications, especially in protected, organic, or environmentally sensitive areas.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Adults feed on green shoots that appear after rain, maturing and laying eggs within a week of a rain event. Their feeding mainly harms pasture, but they can also damage crops.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

After hatching, nymphs develop over about 20 to 25 days in mid-summer, passing through five instars as their wings become increasingly prominent.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

They become active in early summer when advanced winter crops have hardened off. In warm, moist conditions, eggs develop in roughly two weeks.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The species is native to Australia.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Australian Plague Locust photo 2 — Photo: dhfischer, CC BY

Australian Plague Locust photo 3 — Photo: Natasha Taylor, CC BY

Australian Plague Locust photo 4 — Photo: Rod Lowther, CC BY

Australian Plague Locust photo 5 — Photo: Rod Lowther, CC BY

Questions people ask

How can I control Australian plague locusts?

The Australian Plague Locust Commission uses fipronil and the growth regulator diflubenzuron to manage outbreaks, with diflubenzuron applied especially in organic or environmentally sensitive settings.

Source: Wikipedia

What do Australian plague locusts look like?

Adults are 20 to 45 mm long, have a head higher than the thorax, an X-shaped mark on the thorax, reddish shanks on the legs, and clear wings with a dark spot on the edge.

Source: Wikipedia

When are they most active?

They become active in early summer after winter crops have hardened off, and eggs develop in about two weeks when conditions are warm and moist.

Source: Wikipedia

Do they damage gardens or crops?

Yes, they feed on fresh green shoots, mainly harming pasture but also causing damage to crops.

Source: Wikipedia