How much damage can locusts do?
The locust can be a devastating pest to agriculture, causing significant damage to both crops and pastures. Adult locusts are highly mobile and can move through green crops and pastures very quickly. A swarm covering one kilometre can eat up to 10 tonnes of vegetation per day. In New South Wales, three species of locust are declared pest insects under the Rural Lands Protection Act 1998. These are: • Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) • migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) • spur-throated locust (Austracris guttulosa).
