Used for locust control. Locust control measures depending on the species: giant, desert, Asian, Moroccan

Class: Insects - Insecta

Squad: Orthoptera - Orthoptera

Family: Real locusts - Acrididae

Genus: – Locusta

Locust migratory or Asian locust(Locusta migratory L.) is a polyphagous pest found in Asia, North Africa and in southern Europe.

Morphology of the migratory locust

The insect is large, has a body measuring 30-50 mm, females are slightly larger - 45-55 mm. Body color brown-green, gray-green, brown-olive. Elytra oblong, narrow, with yellow tint or green in frequent dark spots or points. The wings are fan-shaped, wide, with a green or yellow tint, the edge of the wings is darkened, and at the top they are colorless. The chest is covered with light hairs.

There are two phases - solitary and gregarious. In the solitary phase, which is common in the northern regions of the range, the pronotum does not have a constriction in the middle, the middle keel is arched and high. In the gregarious form, which lives in the southern regions of the range, the pronotum is saddle-shaped, the middle keel is concave or straight. The capsule is slightly curved or straight, large sizes(up to 85 mm long and up to 10 mm in diameter). The egg capsule is a column of light pink secret, in which the female lays her eggs. Each pod contains 40-120 eggs yellow color, 7-8 mm in size, thin, narrowed at both ends. The eggs are arranged in four longitudinal rows, at an angle of 40-45° to the wall of the egg-pod. After laying, the upper side of the capsule is in the soil at a depth of 5-7 cm.

Asiatic locust life cycle

The pest overwinters in the egg stage. In May, larvae in a white film emerge from the eggs, after a couple of hours they darken and begin to feed on vegetation. The larva in its development passes through five instars, in each of which it differs in the degree of development of the wing primordia and in the number of segments on the antennae. An adult locust actively feeds and 30-40 days after mating, the female of the migratory locust begins to lay eggs. Each female lays on average three pods (up to 350 eggs). Imago dies in October.

Locusts are most active in the morning and evening.

As mentioned earlier, the Asian locust has gregarious and solitary phases. During the gregarious phase, the larvae unite and form clusters called swarms. During the years of mass breeding, swarms can occupy vast areas, up to a couple of thousand hectares, and fly over long distances, up to 50 km, while the locust eats everything in its path, often leaving behind empty pastures and fields. Imago of the migratory locust, uniting in swarms, can fly over distances of up to 300 km, and with a strong tailwind, up to 1000 km.

Outbreaks with mass reproduction of locusts last for several years. On average, the interval between population peaks is 10-15 years.

Locust is very dangerous pest, since both larvae and adults roughly eat leaves, stems and generative organs, which can completely destroy plants. One individual of the locust can eat up to 500 g of green mass of plants.

The number of pests in different years reduce various pathogens that infect eggs in egg-pods, and entomophages that destroy larvae and adults.

Ways to protect against migratory locusts

The agrotechnical and organizational and economic methods of struggle include autumn deep plowing, which will help get rid of the wintering form. It is also necessary to reduce possible places for laying eggs, that is, to develop virgin lands, ennoble forest belts, fight weeds not only on the field, but also outside it, get rid of plant residues.

Chemical method of combating migratory locusts

Processing large territories carried out, with the help of aviation, 20-30 minutes before sunrise, if the wind speed does not exceed 3 m / s. In the evening pollination, there is less efficiency.

To combat the single phase of the locust, poisoned baits are used. For their preparation, horse or sheep manure is required, as a bait, 12% hexachloran dust with a calculation of 200-400 g and 5-10 liters of water per 10 kg of manure. You can apply baits using aircraft, machines or manually.

Chemical preparations can be used to control the pest regardless of the season (from spring to autumn), but it is most effective to carry out insecticide treatment in the spring, before crops are sown. The second time the procedure is repeated with a massive pest invasion.

Effective in the fight against migratory locusts are insecticides of the synthetic pyrethroid group: Fastak, Karate Zeon, Tsunami, Arrivo, Gladiator, Taran and others. When protecting against locusts, as a rule, the maximum dosages allowed by the instructions of the preparations are taken.

In the presence of older larvae, it is recommended to add organophosphate insecticides (Fufanon, in the amount of 50% of the maximum dosage) to the solution.

In the event of a locust invasion, the most effective preparations are based on imidacloprid - Confidor, Tanker, Image. They protect crops from pests for several weeks.

Dimilin ( active substance Diflubenzuron 250 g/kg wettable powder).

The uniqueness of this insecticide lies in a special mechanism of action, it inhibits the growth of insects - it stops the formation of chitin in the body of the larva, as a result of which the molting process is disrupted and the pest dies.

The advantages of this drug are - low toxicity to humans, warm-blooded animals and useful entomofauna; rapid decomposition in water and soil; long after-effect period (up to 40 days).

To protect against locusts, insecticides are applied when the pest is in the larval stage. The rate of application of the drug is 0.14 kg/ha. Used in pastures, areas with wild vegetation, gardens and forest belts.

Migratory locust lays eggs photo

Migratory locust - Locusta migratoria

Locust video

Filly - harmful insect, a pest of agricultural crops and wild plants. Herds of locusts and their larvae in certain seasons can destroy all crops in the fields. In ancient times, these creatures were main threat for the future harvest, until effective locust control measures eventually become available.

Inexperienced people may confuse the locust with a large grasshopper, but they differ both in appearance and in the principle of nutrition. The grasshopper eats small insects, and the locust eats only plants.

Appearance

The body size of an adult varies from 5 to 20 cm. The hind legs of the insect are bent over the body, they significantly exceed the length of the hind and forelimbs. Transparent wings are practically invisible, as they are reliably protected by rigid elytra. When opened, a variety of patterns become visible on them.

If we consider external differences, then the grasshopper's mustache is very long, and the locust's mustache is short.

The locust has short antennae, a large head and big eyes. Sounds in flight are made through the friction of the elytra on the upper part of the hind legs. When the insects fly across the field, a chirring of intense tonality is heard over a long distance.

Locust - feeds exclusively plant food: fields, gardens and forests suffer from the invasion.

Insect coloration

Depending on the climatic conditions and environment locust has different colour. Several individuals produced in one offspring differ when growing up in different regions. The stage of development of the insect also influences the shade. Single individuals are painted in bright green, yellow or grey colour, have distinctive sexual characteristics, but when combined in flocks, these indicators are smoothed out. In flight, the locust is distinguished by its speed and endurance. Sometimes she covers a distance of 120 km at a time in an attempt to search for food.

The larvae resemble an adult fully formed insect, but they cannot move with the help of wings. Instead of a developed apparatus, they have rudiments. After the maturation stage, the covers are replaced several times, then the pest takes wings and turns into an adult insect. The larvae cause great damage to the roots of plants, they are able to eat more than an adult insect.

Packs have various features depending on the temperature regime soil from which the locust begins to fly. The composition of the air also influences the formation of a colony. With a small temperature gap in the soil and wind, the flock descends low. With a large temperature difference, the locust can be seen from afar as a cloud, as it rises high. Small cumulus colonies, in which there are from 1 to 10 million individuals, are less than 1 km across.

Why are locusts dangerous?

The insect is one of the most terrible among all pests of fruit-bearing crops. For crops, the breeding season is considered the most dangerous. The larvae of the pest have great voracity, but keep one by one. It is difficult to recognize them, but in just a few weeks they form into adults and begin to move to other places. This leads to the death of most agricultural plants. At this stage, colonies already appear, which are easy to detect. But there are other difficulties - with their destruction.

The flight is a formidable sight - flocks of several tens of square kilometers obscure the Sun.

For a person and his health, the insect is not harmful. But the appearance of pests causes a storm of discomfort. Children can be scared of locusts. If the territory is occupied by insects, then they interfere with working and being there. An annoying crackle comes from them, and also pets react uneasily to these creatures. With the growth of locusts in the garden, a real threat arises not only in relation to cereal crops.

Melon crops - watermelons, pumpkin, cabbage can suffer. Plants don't stand a chance. She eats everything - from the roots to the tips of the leaves. After the departure of the colony, desert remains on the field.

AT vivo with a temperature difference and a lack of cereal crops, the number of individuals in the colony decreases. Also, the pest dies due to disease. Usually, the recovery of the locust population takes about 10 years, after which their mass invasions begin.

Rule and methods of pest control

The insect is difficult to destroy. A person has several methods of dealing with it, but they must be comprehensive. The pest moves quickly, so only significant chemical treatment will help protect against its voracity in open fields. If the larvae are found on a small garden plot, then only preliminary preventive measures. The higher their quality, the fewer adults will be. Proper locust control is the timely protection of crops from insect invasion.

mechanical way

If individual larvae are found, the gardener's reaction should be immediate. Mechanical destruction helps to destroy individual insects, but with mass reproduction it is ineffective. This option is used to eliminate larvae in damp soil and at a short distance. Prevention should begin in August.

Elimination of larvae in the ground at the peak of activity, deep digging of the site is carried out.

During this period, pests only develop. When digging the garden, most of the insects are eliminated. Slightly helps burning dry plant residues before autumn. The influence of fire will not help if the main clutch of eggs is kept at a depth of more than 5 cm.

Application chemicals

Man has special mass media for pest control. They are the most effective and require careful use. Unfortunately, chemicals not only harm the locust, but can also spoil the future crop. Soil treatment is carried out before planting crops. Most drugs retain their properties for up to 40 days. Then the processing is carried out already at the laying of the larvae. Some gardeners are fighting a pest special formulations that destroy the Colorado potato beetle.

Interesting video:Features of garden pests, locusts and grasshoppers

Using modern chemicals on empty soil may not work. Some adults remain resistant to most components of poisons. How to deal with locusts in this case?

Methods of struggle must be combined. To do this, they do prophylaxis on empty ground in autumn and spring, and during germination, spraying with special compounds is carried out.
Modern insecticides are now on the market. Their unique action is to slow down the growth of the pest from the larval stage to the adult. When an insect enters the body, the formation of chitin is disrupted; they do not live to the stage of laying eggs.
Many drugs are designed with minimal danger to humans. They have low toxicity, quickly dissolve in water and have a directed action when they enter the ground.

The locust invasion cannot be stopped, so it is prevented in advance.

The most big locust on the planet lives in regions of the humid tropics. The size of females reaches 18 cm, weight - more than 10 g males are usually slightly smaller. these insects are not cereal crops, traditional for the family, but herbaceous shrubs and tree branches. The habitat of insects is the north of South America.

The coloration of males is brighter than that of females, top part their bodies are bright pink, with a general green-brown color of the bodies. But the attractive appearance is deceptive - on the field, a swarm of such giants can eat several thousand tons of crops.

Interesting! This locust is unhurried, it jumps little and practically does not fly, slowly crawling from branch to branch.

Giant locust photo below:

Very often, inexperienced summer residents mistake the most ordinary grasshopper (not just harmless, but even useful) for the most terrible fields and gardens - locusts. The explanation is simple: green grasshoppers look very much like harmless grasshoppers. To distinguish these insects is very simple:

the grasshopper is active at night, the locust during the day;
the grasshopper preys on small insects, the locust only on plants;
the grasshopper has long legs and whiskers, the locust has a longer abdomen.

Moroccan, poison resistant

Moroccan locust is real field storm, disaster capable of a short time destroy crops over vast areas. This insect belongs to the "true locust" family, it is able to create flocks of at least hundreds of millions of individuals, and also migrate in search of food over great distances. The habitat of this species of locust is Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Crimea, middle Asia.

The life of a "Moroccan" can proceed in two phases: solitary and herd. She's harmless in the solo stage., she has enough food, the larvae hatch and remain to live where they were born.

The gregarious phase begins after a long dry weather and subsequent heavy rainfall.

The larvae acquire a brighter color, become active, tend to gather in large flocks, and begin to migrate. Moroccan larvae are capable of eating up to ten times their weight in food. Herd insects travel long distances flying up to 20 hours a day at a speed of more than 15-20 km/h.

Outwardly, the Moroccan locust resembles its cousin, the grasshopper. Her body color is reddish yellow., with small dark spots and a light cross-shaped pattern on the back, hips hind legs pinkish or yellow, lower legs red. The mustache of the "Moroccans" is shorter than that of the grasshopper.

"Moroccan" is dangerous because she very prolific. On one square meter In an unplowed field, the female lays several thousand eggs. When an insect gathers for migration, the number of individuals becomes incalculable, the length of the flock can be more than 200 km, the width - up to 10 km.

There are no unloved dishes for these insects - on their way they eat cereals, cotton, gourds and tobacco, fruit fruits, common grass, branches and tree bark.

Important! The Moroccan locust causes great harm, it is considered one of the most serious pests on planet Earth, and it is especially dangerous because in the process of evolution it has learned to mutate, having developed the ability to resist various insecticides.

Desert, extremely gluttonous

desert locust is a very voracious insect, for the day eating food as much as it weighs itself. In search of food, it flies at least 1200 km per day, although it moves only in daytime preferring to rest at night. A flock attacking a field can spread over a territory of 70-80 km, greedily destroying any of the more than four hundred species. herbaceous plants and trees.

"Deserts" belongs to the true locust family. As they mature, Desert Locust larvae acquire long, colorless wings with dark spots. Adults are yellowish or greenish, depending on what stage they are in.

It is found in Asia Minor, India and some parts of Africa, sometimes flies into the CIS countries from the territories of Iran and Afghanistan. this species of insects is massive and cyclic, on average four times a year, producing four generations of larvae: two winter and two summer. The flock reaches its maximum number of individuals in seasons with heavy rainfall.

These insects can ignore most insecticides, which is why they are no less a disaster for agricultural areas than the Moroccan locust.

Important! The difference between the Desert Locust and its closest relatives is that it migrates not only periodically, to search for food over long distances, but also annually, to humid regions, for reproduction.

Locust control measures

Deal with locusts of any kind very difficult, because these insects are perfectly able to adapt to adverse environmental conditions. Pesticides against the most common locust species - Moroccan and desert - are practically powerless, especially since their use can be dangerous for Agriculture.

Interesting! in Russia, where "Moroccans" rarely visit, hybrid individuals are a disaster, combining the voracity of imported guests and the ability to mutate, defending themselves from poisons.

Salvation from the Moroccan locust can be:

biopesticides;
noise from loudspeakers;
domestic and wild birds.

The desert locust is still susceptible to most known insect control agents. Modern agriculture offers the following methods:

insecticides;
poisoned baits;
digging the earth.

A few words about migratory "Asians"

Separately, it must be said about. This type of insect able to consume daily the amount of food equal to the amount of feed for two sheep. It is incredibly difficult to fight the "Asian" - before a raid on the fields, it forms complex nesting sites in hard-to-reach thickets in swampy areas. Asian guests can only be defeated in the following ways:

chemistry;
burning out;
digging.

Locusts are sometimes called the jaws of the wind, and this fully reflects its essence. In regions where locust infestations are a frequent event, this phenomenon is described as a black cloud rapidly approaching, leaving only bare ground after disappearance. So learn effective fight with this natural misfortune is so important.

Of all plant pests, locusts are the most dangerous. If in the country there are corners with uncleaned field herbs, there you can always meet a green filly - a lone locust, which over time will provide the appearance of a winged form of locust. In 2000, an epiphytotic outbreak of locust breeding left the Volgograd region without a crop (1000-6000 individuals per square meter of area). In 2010, the pest reached the Urals and some regions of Siberia. The flight of the locust is terrible. Her flocks can number in the billions. When flying, they emit a characteristic sound that is frighteningly creaky near, and in the distance it resembles pre-storm thunder. After the locust, the bare ground remains.

Locust spread

Family true locusts (Acrididae) includes up to 10,000 species, of which about 400 are distributed in the European-Asian range, including in the Russian Federation (Central Asia, Kazakhstan, south Western Siberia, Caucasus, south of the European part). Of the locusts, the most common and harmful for the Russian Federation is Asian locust or migratory locust (Locusta migratoria). There are two life phases: solitary and gregarious. The gregarious form of the locust is harmful. Representatives of the solitary phase occupy mainly the northern regions of the marked range, while the gregarious ones occupy the southern and warm Asian regions.

Locust severity level

An omnivorous pest, with the greatest feeding activity in the early morning and evening hours, when there is no heat peak. One individual eats up to 500 g of plants with different densities of vegetative and generative organs (leaves, flowers, young branches, stems, fruits). Covers distances up to 50 km per day. With a gap of 10-15 years, the locust forms huge flocks (bands) of adults, from the combined accumulations of larvae. During the period of mass reproduction, they are able to simultaneously occupy up to 2000 hectares and fly, feeding on the way, up to 300, and with a fair wind up to 1000 km, leaving bare ground with separately sticking out the remains of woody shoots and stems of plants.

Under natural conditions, over time, the number of pests decreases (the onset of cold, hunger, the work of natural entomophages). In swarms, the number of diseases that affect the pest in different phases of development, starting from the egg phase, increases. Restoration lasts 10-15 years and then a massive flight is repeated.

Morphological description of the locust

By appearance locusts resemble grasshoppers and crickets. Visible hallmark is the length of the antennae (in locusts they are much shorter) and the presence of a curved sharp keel on the pronotum, powerful jaws. The front wings are dense with brownish-brown spots, the hind wings are delicate transparent with a yellowish sometimes greenish tint.

Locust development cycle

The life expectancy of an adult is from 8 months to 2 years. The locust lives and develops in two phases/stages - solitary and gregarious.

single phase

A single locust is distinguished by the overall size of its forms, has green color, for which it received the name "green filly". She leads an inactive lifestyle and practically does no harm. The solitary phase of life for locusts is necessary for the conservation of the population. During this period, females intensively lay eggs. Gradually, the density of larvae increases and reaches a limit, which serves as a signal for the transition to the second stage of development and life.

gregarious phase

In the gregarious phase, female locusts begin to lay eggs programmed for a marching foraging program. The researchers suggest that the "call" is the lack of protein in the diet of adults. Adult adults of locusts gather in flocks, and larvae form dense swarms.

Locust breeding

Locusts usually die at the end of October with the onset of a steady cold. Before the onset of cold weather, the female lays eggs, forming in the upper 10 cm layer of soil winter quarters which are called capsules. During the laying period, the female locust secretes a foamy liquid from the gonads, which quickly hardens, separating the eggs from surrounding soil. In the course of laying eggs, the female forms several capsules (pods) with a lid, inside which she places 50-100 eggs, the total amount up to 300 or more. During the winter diapause, the eggs acquire cold resistance and do not freeze even in severe winters. With the onset of heat, the winter pause ends in spring, with sufficient warming of the soil in top layer a white larva emerges from the egg. On the soil surface, after a few hours, it darkens, acquires an imago-like appearance (without wings), and begins to feed. Within 1.0-1.5 months, the larva goes through 5 instars and turns into an adult locust. Another month of enhanced feeding, and after mating, the female locust starts laying eggs. During the warm period, each female forms 1-3 generations.

According to the lifestyle of the locust, it belongs to the gregarious species. In years with sufficient food, moderately humid climate and average temperatures, single individuals do not cause great harm. But you need to take into account the cyclical nature of development and the transition from a solitary lifestyle to a herd. It appears after about 4 years. During this period, especially when coinciding with hot, dry summer period within 2 - 3 years, the locust multiplies intensively, forming huge accumulations of larvae in a small area (bands). Outbreaks of mass reproduction, coinciding with weather conditions, can last for several years, gradually fading and moving back to a solitary form of life. The interval between epiphytoties averages 10-12 years.

Individuals of the herd form, trying to maintain the protein and water balance of their body, are forced to eat without interruption (otherwise they will die from their lack in the body). Moving in search of fresh food, they travel, as already noted, from 50 to 300 km per day. One individual is able to eat 200-500 g of green mass of plants and similar neighbors in a swarm. Protein deficiency turns the locust into a predator, and the swarm is conditionally divided into 2 groups. One runs away from relatives, the other catches up with them and eats them, and both "along the road of life" are reinforced by plants rich in carbohydrates. A natural gradual decrease in the pest population is caused by outbreaks of diseases in locust swarms at their high density, damage to eggs in egg-pods by various diseases, natural enemies of locusts (predatory insects, birds and other fauna).

Therefore, the most vulnerable point in locust development is the increased density of egg deposition and larval initiation (per unit area). Locust swarms begin their flights at an increased density of pests. This means that it is necessary to initially destroy the clutches of eggs and the "islands" of larvae, plowing the land to reduce the density of pests. On the summer cottages the main role of population reduction is based on integrated pest control measures: agrotechnical measures + chemical treatment of soil and plants.

Locust control methods

Given the speed of movement, gluttony and the complete destruction of green plants along the path of the locust swarm, chemical control measures are used to destroy it, especially in large areas.

In a dacha or a house adjoining area, the fight against locusts is carried out mainly prophylactically and proactively and begins with agrotechnical measures, the thoroughness and timely implementation of which helps to significantly reduce the number of pests and prevent epiphytotic damage to the green world of plants.

Agrotechnical measures

In areas prone to locust attack, late digging of the dacha or adjoining plot, at which capsules with locust eggs are destroyed.

In alternative agriculture, unused areas must be grassed, which prevents the formation of egg-pods and the laying of eggs by female locusts.

Chemical control measures

All treatments chemicals best done in the morning. When working, observe personal safety measures, work in an appropriate suit, respirator, goggles, gloves. When working with chemicals, it is necessary to strictly follow guidelines cultivation and use of pesticides.

With a large accumulation of locust larvae in some areas, it is treated with Decis-extra, Karate, Confidor, Image, the validity of which lasts up to 30 days. Can be treated with all drugs that are used to combat the Colorado potato beetle.

The systemic insecticide Clotiamet-VDG provides plant protection against locusts for up to 3 weeks. After 2 hours, all pests die, the number of live hatched larvae decreases markedly. The product can be used in a tank mix with fertilizers and growth stimulants subject to mandatory compatibility testing.

Insecticide Gladiator-KE cleans larvae and adult locusts well. Use in the early hours when adults are in a daze. Doses of the drug vary depending on the age of the locust.

Damylin is an insecticide with a unique effect on the growth of the pest and the formation of chitin in the body of the larva during molts. As a result, the larvae die before reaching the age of an adult pest. Valid for up to 40 days. The drug is low toxic for humans and warm-blooded animals, quickly decomposes in water and soil.

Over the long history of agriculture, man has learned to cope with almost all pests. What just does not go into action: and ingenious traps, and various herbal decoctions and infusions, and a wide arsenal of chemicals. But, despite this, even today pests remain, the battle with which often ends not in favor of a person. One of them is an all-devouring locust, the attack of which can be compared with a full-fledged natural disaster. We will talk about the features of the life of the locust and the main ways to deal with it today.

Are locusts dangerous?

The representative of the Orthoptera family, the locust, looks very similar to the common grasshopper, differing from it in larger sizes (from 3.5 to 6.5 cm) and the presence of wings in adults. Larvae hatch from eggs in May, and about a hundred individuals come out of one clutch (pod). From an adult insect, the larva is distinguished by underdeveloped wings and the absence of genital organs. Young locusts eat the surrounding greenery, and when it runs out, grow wings and begin to migrate. At the same time, it strays into huge flocks that can reach several kilometers in length. Moving in search of food, swarms of locusts destroy not only young shoots, but also mature trees and shrubs, almost in a matter of minutes.

How to deal with locusts in the country?

Although for many residents of Russia and Ukraine the locust is a rather rare visitor, but a significant warming of the climate leads to the fact that the area of its distribution is expanding significantly. Most often, single individuals are found in summer cottages, which can simply be collected by hand. In regions where locust infestations are not uncommon, the following are used: folk methods fight it:

In the fight against locusts, chemical weapons cannot be dispensed with. Preparations "Caesar", "Fastak", "Gladiator", "Karate Zeon", "Arrivo", "Taran" are recommended to be used during the spring digging of the earth. In the midst of an attack, you can deal with trouble with the help of Condifor, Tanker or Image.