Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory when their populations become dense enough. They form bands as nymphs and swarms as adults. Both the bands and the swarms are nomadic and rapidly strip fields and greatly damage crops. The adults being powerful fliers, they can travel great distances, consuming practically all green material wherever the swarm settles.
The origin and apparent extinction of certain species of locust—some of which grew to 6 inches (15 cm) in length—are unclear.
Locusts are edible insects, and are considered a delicacy in some countries. There have been references to their consumption as food throughout history.
Read more about Locust: Locust Species, Swarming Behaviour, Locust Swarms and Locust Control, Extinctions, Locusts As Experimental Models, Related Uses of The Word "locust", Human Consumption of Locusts
Famous quotes containing the word locust:
“I heard the dog-day locust here, and afterward on the carries, a sound which I had associated only with more open, if not settled countries. The area for locusts must be small in the Maine Woods.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Who knows what sort of seventeen-year locust will next come out of the ground?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)