Are Locusts Insects? A Detailed Explanation of Locust Classification and Characteristics

Locusts, also known as grasshoppers, are a common pest in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries. They are disliked because they feed on the leaves, tender stems, flower buds and young fruits of wheat, rice, millet, corn, legumes, tobacco, reeds, vegetables, fruit trees, forest trees and weeds. So are locusts insects?

1. Are locusts insects?

Locusts are insects, and they are insects used both as medicine and as food. Currently there are the rice locust, the East Asian migratory locust, the Taiwan, China giant locust, the Taiwan, China rice locust, the red-backed grasshopper and others. But no matter which kind, they all like to eat plant leaves and harm crops, so farmers dislike them greatly and use various methods to control them.

2. How does agriculture control locusts?

1. Reduce the food sources of locusts. Many kinds of locusts eat corn, wheat, sorghum, rice, millet and so on, but do not eat soybeans, alfalfa, fruit trees and so on. Therefore, in areas where locusts occur, planting as many soybeans, alfalfa, fruit trees and other forest trees as possible can control locusts.

2. Reduce the habitat of locusts. Some locust outbreak areas are low-lying, and we can convert such plots into ponds for raising fish and shrimp. This can greatly reduce the habitat of locusts and also control locusts fairly well.

3. Reduce the egg-laying sites of locusts. Some kinds of locusts, such as the East Asian migratory locust, like to lay eggs in dry, bare plots. We should increase the intensity of tree planting and afforestation, increase the number of plants, and make plant coverage reach above 70%. Such plots are then no longer suitable for locusts to lay eggs, and the harm caused by locusts can also be reduced.

In short, locusts are insects and also agricultural pests, so they are very unpopular, and farmers are currently making great efforts to control them.