To understand how the raids are structured and organized, the team collected a large number of video recordings of many colonies raiding under controlled conditions. Latchininsky, Alexandre V.; Sivanpillai, Ramesh (2010). "Locust Habitat Monitoring And Risk Assessment Using Remote Sensing And GIS Technologies" (PDF). University of Wyoming. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2015 . Retrieved 5 March 2016.

Locusts yield about five times more edible protein per unit of fodder than cattle, and produce lower levels of greenhouse gases in the process. [83] The feed conversion rate of orthopterans is 1.7kg/kg, [84] while for beef it is typically about 10kg/kg. [85] The protein content in fresh weight is between 13 and 28g / 100g for adult locust, 14–18g / 100g for larvae, as compared to 19–26g / 100g for beef. [86] [87] The calculated protein efficiency ratio is low, with 1.69 for locust protein compared to 2.5 for standard casein. [88] A serving of 100g of desert locust provides 11.5g of fat, 53.5% of which is unsaturated, and 286mg of cholesterol. [88] Among the fatty acids, palmitoleic, oleic, and linolenic acids were found to be the most abundant. Varying amounts of potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc were present. [88] See also [ edit ]A documentary by Carl Rettenmeyer of University of Connecticut: Associates of Eciton burchelli (2009) a b c McNeill, William H. (2012). Plagues and Peoples. Springer Science & Business Media. p.146. ISBN 978-0-385-12122-4. The name army ant (or legionary ant or marabunta [1]) is applied to over 200 ant species in different lineages. Because of their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", a huge number of ants forage simultaneously over a limited area. [2] Scott, Jon (March 2005). "The locust jump: an integrated laboratory investigation" (PDF). Advances in Physiology Education. 29 (1): 21–26. doi: 10.1152/advan.00037.2004. PMID 15718379. S2CID 27101536. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2019. The relative size and robustness of the locust make it simple to handle and ideal for such investigations.

Another shared feature is that, unlike most ant species, army ants do not construct permanent nests; an army ant colony moves almost incessantly over the time it exists. All species are members of the true ant family, Formicidae, but several groups have independently evolved the same basic behavioural and ecological syndrome. This syndrome is often referred to as "legionary behaviour", and may be an example of convergent evolution. [3] [n 1] Several organisations around the world monitor the threat from locusts. They provide forecasts detailing regions likely to suffer from locust plagues in the near future. In Australia, this service is provided by the Australian Plague Locust Commission. [44] It has been very successful in dealing with developing outbreaks, but has the great advantage of having a defined area to monitor and defend without locust invasions from elsewhere. [45] In Central and Southern Africa, the service is provided by the International Locust Control Organization for Central and Southern Africa. [46] In West and Northwest Africa, the service is co-ordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization's Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region, and executed by locust control agencies belonging to each country concerned. [47] The FAO also monitors the situation in the Caucasus and Central Asia, where over 25 million hectares of cultivated land are under threat. [48] In February 2020, in an effort to end massive locust outbreaks, India decided to use drones and special equipment to monitor locusts and spray insecticides. [49] Control [ edit ] Preparing to flame locusts in Palestine, 1915 Botelho, Greg (28 March 2013). "Plague of locusts infests impoverished Madagascar". CNN . Retrieved 29 March 2013. a b Showler, Allan T. (4 March 2013). "The Desert Locust in Africa and Western Asia: Complexities of War, Politics, Perilous Terrain, and Development". Radcliffe's IPM World Textbook. University of Minnesota. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015 . Retrieved 3 April 2015. a b c Schneirla, Theodore Christian (1971). Topoff, Howard R. (ed.). Army Ants: A Study in Social Organization. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 978-0-7167-0933-6. OCLC 210501.Reppert SM, Guerra PA, Merlin C. Neurobiology of monarch butterfly migration. Annu Rev Entomol. 2016;61:25–42. Thomas M.B., Gbongboui C., Lomer C.J. (1996). "Between-season survival of the grasshopper pathogen Metarhizium flavoviride in the Sahel". Biocontrol Science and Technology. 6 (4): 569–573. doi: 10.1080/09583159631208. {{ cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)

Ivens, A. B. F., von Beeren, C., Blüthgen, N., & Kronauer, D. J. C. (2016). Studying the complex communities of ants and their symbionts using ecological network analysis. Annual Review of Entomology, 61, 353–371. Study of literature shows how pervasive plagues of locusts were over the course of history. The insects arrived unexpectedly, often after a change of wind direction or weather, and the consequences were devastating. The Ancient Egyptians carved locusts on tombs in the period 2470 to 2220 BC. A devastating plague in Egypt is also mentioned in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. [20] [34] The Iliad mentions locusts taking to the wing to escape fire. [35] Plagues of locusts are also mentioned in the Quran. [16] In the ninth century BC, the Chinese authorities appointed anti-locust officers. [36] In the New Testament, John the Baptist was said to survive in the wilderness on locusts and wild honey; and human-headed locusts appear in the Book of Revelation. [37] The ideal in locust control is preventive and proactive methods that disrupt the environment as little as possible, to make agricultural production more secure. [19] As experimental models [ edit ] Benyamini D. A swarm of millions of Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) in winter-spring 2015-2016 in the south-East Mediterranean - the missing link. Atalanta. 2017;48:103–28. Ceccato, Pietro. "Operational Early Warning System Using Spot-Vegetation And Terra-Modis To Predict Desert Locust Outbreaks" (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2014 . Retrieved 5 March 2016.Swarming behaviour decreased in the 20th century, but despite modern surveillance and control methods, swarms can still form; when suitable weather conditions occur and vigilance lapses, plagues can occur. [5] [6] The locust is large and easy to breed and rear, and is used as an experimental model in research studies. It has been used in evolutionary biology research and to test the generalizability of conclusions reached about test organisms such as the fruit fly ( Drosophila) and the housefly ( Musca). [57] [58] It is a suitable school laboratory animal because of its robustness and ease of breeding and handling. [59] a b c d e f g h i j k l Franks, Nigel R.; Hölldobler, Bert (1987). "Sexual competition during colony reproduction in army ants". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 30 (3): 229–243. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1987.tb00298.x. FAO issues Desert Locust alert: Mauritania, Niger, Sudan and other neighbouring countries at risk". Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization. 20 October 2003. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017 . Retrieved 3 July 2015.