The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is a species of locust. Plagues of desert locusts have threatened agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia for centuries. The livelihood of at least one-tenth of the world’s human population can be affected by this voracious insect. The desert locust is potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of swarms to fly rapidly across great distances. It has two to five generations per year. The last major desert locust upsurge in 2004–05 caused significant crop losses in West Africa and had a negative impact on food security in the region. While the desert locust alone is not responsible for famines, it can be an important contributing factor.
Read more about Desert Locust: Desert Locust Ecology, Locust Swarming, Crop Loss, Control, Biopesticides, 2003–2005 Desert Locust Upsurge, Desert Locusts in Culture, Locust Pheromone
Famous quotes containing the words desert and/or locust:
“There is a silence where hath been no sound,
There is a silence where no sound may be,
In the cold grave—under the deep, deep sea,
Or in wide desert where no life is found,”
—Thomas Hood (1799–1845)
“Who knows what sort of seventeen-year locust will next come out of the ground?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)