A vast, densely packed aggregation of migratory locusts that forms when normally solitary grasshopper-like insects undergo a behavioral and physical transformation triggered by crowding, becoming more social and mobile as their population density rises after favorable breeding conditions. A large swarm can contain many billions of insects, and historically, and still today in parts of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, locust swarms have caused famine-level crop destruction across vast areas.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Desert locust plagues are documented to follow the end of extended drought, when the heavy rains that break a drought create the moist soil conditions locusts need for mass breeding and swarm formation.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.