Locusts are a special type of grasshopper with some amazing abilities. When they find themselves in crowded conditions, they change in fascinating ways. They switch their color from green to brown, start eating more, become stronger, and gather in huge groups. They also begin to mate more often. Once they make these changes, they swarm across the land in search of food, causing a lot of trouble for people living there.
There are about a dozen different species of locusts around the world, but only one was found in North America: the Rocky Mountain locust. This species caused a lot of problems for farmers in the Great Plains between 1850 and 1880. These locusts preferred eating crops that people planted over the wild prairie grasses. This made them a big problem for settlers who were trying to grow food. In 1875, someone in Nebraska saw a massive swarm of locusts that stretched a mile high and lasted for five days. He estimated that the swarm was 110 miles wide and 1,800 miles long, which is about twice the size of Colorado!
During these big outbreaks, locusts ate everything in their path. They devoured crops, fence posts, leather, and even the wool from sheep. They were such a big problem for people trying to settle in the western United States and Canada that bounty hunters were paid up to $100 for a bushel of dead grasshoppers. Some settlers even tried using dynamite to destroy their breeding grounds. While these methods might have felt satisfying, they didn’t completely solve the problem. Eventually, settlers managed to control the Rocky Mountain locusts, leading to their accidental extinction.
Like settlers, locusts needed food and a place to reproduce. After their outbreaks, they usually returned to their breeding grounds in the valleys of the northern Rockies to lay eggs. However, these fertile river bottomlands were also perfect for farms and ranches. When settlers plowed the land, raised livestock, and used irrigation, they unknowingly destroyed locust eggs and the habitats needed for young locusts to grow.
By the 1890s, settlers had changed so much of the western river bottomland that locusts couldn’t gather in large enough numbers to transform and swarm again. The disappearance of these insects less than 30 years after they were a major threat to agriculture on the Great Plains is likely the only recorded extinction of a pest species in agricultural history. In this case, farming turned out to be the locusts’ downfall.
Draw a comic strip that illustrates the lifecycle of the Rocky Mountain locust. Include key stages such as their transformation in crowded conditions, swarming behavior, and eventual extinction. Use your creativity to make the comic engaging and informative!
Create a simple board game or digital simulation where players must manage resources and protect crops from locust swarms. Think about how locusts change and what strategies settlers might have used to combat them. Share your game with classmates and see who can best protect their farm!
Research how locust swarms are managed today in different parts of the world. Prepare a short presentation to share with the class, comparing modern techniques with those used during the Great North American Locust Plague. Highlight any technological advancements and their effectiveness.
Imagine you are a settler in the 1870s dealing with a locust swarm. Write a diary entry describing your experiences, challenges, and feelings. Consider the impact of the locusts on your daily life and how you might try to protect your crops and livelihood.
Investigate the biological changes that occur in locusts when they switch from solitary to swarming behavior. Create a poster or digital presentation explaining these changes and why they are significant. Share your findings with the class to deepen everyone’s understanding of this fascinating phenomenon.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
—
Locusts are a type of grasshopper with unique abilities. When triggered by overcrowding, they undergo a transformation, changing color from green to brown, increasing their food intake, becoming more muscular, mating more frequently, and gathering in large groups. Once they shed their more solitary behaviors, they swarm across the landscape in search of food, colonizing breeding grounds and becoming a significant nuisance.
There are about a dozen locust species worldwide, with only one found in North America: the Rocky Mountain locust. This species devastated crops across the Great Plains from 1850 to 1880. The locusts’ preference for cultivated crops over prairie grasses drew the attention of settlers, who found their massive swarms hard to ignore. One observer in Nebraska in 1875 noted a stream of locusts that reached a mile high and lasted for five days. He estimated the swarm to be 110 miles wide and 1,800 miles long, roughly twice the size of Colorado.
During significant outbreaks, locusts consumed all crops in their path, as well as fence posts, leather, and even the wool from sheep. They posed such a challenge to the settlement of the western United States and Canada that bounty hunters were paid as much as $100 per bushel of dead grasshoppers, and settlers resorted to dynamiting their breeding grounds. While these methods may have provided some satisfaction, they were not entirely successful. Ultimately, settlers managed to control the Rocky Mountain locusts, leading to their extinction—though this was accidental.
Locusts, like settlers, require food and the ability to reproduce. After outbreaks, locust populations typically retreated to their permanent breeding grounds in the valleys of the northern Rockies to lay eggs. However, these fertile river bottomlands were also ideal for pioneer farms and ranches. It turns out that plowing, livestock, and irrigation effectively destroyed locust eggs and essential nymph habitats.
By the 1890s, settlers had transformed so much of the western river bottomland that locusts could no longer reach the population density needed to undergo their transformation and swarm again. The disappearance of these insects less than 30 years after they threatened agriculture on the Great Plains is likely the only recorded extinction of a pest species in agricultural history. In this case, agriculture proved to be their downfall.
—
This version maintains the essential information while removing any potentially sensitive or inflammatory language.
Locusts – Locusts are a type of grasshopper that can form large groups and cause significant damage to crops. – During a locust invasion, farmers often struggle to protect their fields from being eaten.
Grasshopper – A grasshopper is an insect that is known for its long legs and ability to jump great distances. – Grasshoppers are often found in fields and meadows, where they feed on plants.
Species – A species is a group of living organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. – The giant panda is an endangered species that lives in the bamboo forests of China.
Crops – Crops are plants that are grown in large quantities for food or other uses. – Wheat and corn are two of the most common crops grown by farmers around the world.
Swarms – Swarms are large groups of insects that move together, often causing damage to the environment. – A swarm of bees can be both fascinating and frightening to observe.
Extinction – Extinction is the permanent disappearance of a species from the Earth. – The dodo bird is an example of a species that went extinct due to human activity.
Habitats – Habitats are natural environments where plants and animals live and grow. – Wetlands provide important habitats for many species of birds and amphibians.
Breeding – Breeding is the process by which animals reproduce and produce offspring. – Conservationists are working to create breeding programs to help save endangered species.
Agriculture – Agriculture is the practice of cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising animals for food and other products. – Advances in agriculture have allowed farmers to produce more food with fewer resources.
Plains – Plains are large, flat areas of land with few trees, often used for agriculture. – The Great Plains in the United States are known for their vast fields of wheat and corn.
