Locust vs Grasshopper - Ask Extension
My kiddo is trying to figure out the differences between locusts and grasshoppers so we have been googling a lot and its a little confusing. Can you t...
Knowledgebase
Locust vs Grasshopper #804939
Asked August 06, 2022, 1:31 PM EDT
My kiddo is trying to figure out the differences between locusts and grasshoppers so we have been googling a lot and its a little confusing. Can you tell us how many species of locusts we have in Colorado? I have been told there WAS only one, but that it's extinct (Rocky Mountain Locust). We also learned that a difference between locusts and grasshoppers is that only locusts can fly, is that true? We live in Aurora and see a lot of flying ones that are tan and have black wings...are they locusts? (Maybe Carolina Locust?) Please let us know if you have any resources we can look at too.
Arapahoe County Colorado
Expert Response
The way I have usually explained it to my classes is that a locust is a type of grasshopper that periodically "goes beserk", during which they band together in bands and become highly migratory. (Most all grasshoppers have wings and fly/ only those that migrate long distances in groups might be considered to have "locust behavior".)
All locusts are grasshoppers. But a small percentage (maybe a dozen worldwide) can sometimes shift their behavior, known as phase transformation. In one phase (solitary) they are typical grasshoppers. When conditions come together in a certain way - they shift to another phase (gregarious) that have a somewhat different appearance (typically a bit darker and with longer wings) and may band together and migrate.
The classic migratory locust is the desert locust of northern Africa, which is reference in the Bible. It still produces periodic outbreaks that may encompass large areas of central/northern Africa and the mideast. But there are other species that have this habit in Africa, South America and Australia.
However, the largest recorded mass of locusts was that of the Rocky Mountain locust, which devasted much of the central US, including Colorado, in the mid 1870s. (Look up "Albert's swarm".) This insect periodically produced outbreaks before that time but the mid-1870s were its heyday. Populations declined after that and it was last found alive (in Alberta) in 1902 - the only pest insect ever to have been driven to extinction. (And we weren't even trying! Another fascinating story.)
There are other grasshoppers that sometimes produce large migrations but do not have phase transformation. Rocky Mountain locust is one, but another was the High Plains grasshopper that developed immense numbers in the late 1930s and was devastating over a wide area. The High Plains grasshopper is not extinct - but is uncommon and has not produced problems in over 80 years.
One group of insects that are not locusts are periodical cicidas. These are very different insects that emerge periodically (every 17th or 13th year) sometimes in immense numbers. (They are only found east of the Mississippi, although Colorado has some 3 dozen species of cicadas). They are sometimes misnamed 17 year locusts, which is an error created by the Puritans of New England when they first saw them, and knew nothing about entomology.
P.S. The name of the species known as the Carolina locust is a misnomer as well. It never displays "locust-like" behavior. It is a poor common name that causes confusion.
All locusts are grasshoppers. But a small percentage (maybe a dozen worldwide) can sometimes shift their behavior, known as phase transformation. In one phase (solitary) they are typical grasshoppers. When conditions come together in a certain way - they shift to another phase (gregarious) that have a somewhat different appearance (typically a bit darker and with longer wings) and may band together and migrate.
The classic migratory locust is the desert locust of northern Africa, which is reference in the Bible. It still produces periodic outbreaks that may encompass large areas of central/northern Africa and the mideast. But there are other species that have this habit in Africa, South America and Australia.
However, the largest recorded mass of locusts was that of the Rocky Mountain locust, which devasted much of the central US, including Colorado, in the mid 1870s. (Look up "Albert's swarm".) This insect periodically produced outbreaks before that time but the mid-1870s were its heyday. Populations declined after that and it was last found alive (in Alberta) in 1902 - the only pest insect ever to have been driven to extinction. (And we weren't even trying! Another fascinating story.)
There are other grasshoppers that sometimes produce large migrations but do not have phase transformation. Rocky Mountain locust is one, but another was the High Plains grasshopper that developed immense numbers in the late 1930s and was devastating over a wide area. The High Plains grasshopper is not extinct - but is uncommon and has not produced problems in over 80 years.
One group of insects that are not locusts are periodical cicidas. These are very different insects that emerge periodically (every 17th or 13th year) sometimes in immense numbers. (They are only found east of the Mississippi, although Colorado has some 3 dozen species of cicadas). They are sometimes misnamed 17 year locusts, which is an error created by the Puritans of New England when they first saw them, and knew nothing about entomology.
P.S. The name of the species known as the Carolina locust is a misnomer as well. It never displays "locust-like" behavior. It is a poor common name that causes confusion.
