Australian plague locust

The Australian plague locust is the most economically important grasshopper species in Australia. They breed and develop during the warmer months of the year and can be problematic from late-spring through to mid-autumn in southern Australia. When conditions are favourable, dense bands of ‘hoppers’ or large swarms of adults can cause significant damage to field crops and pastures. Plagues tend to form in central Queensland or north-western New South Wales and migrate southerly with prevailing winds, sometimes as far as Victoria. Adults are up to 40 mm long, generally brown in colour with a large dark spot on the tip of their hind wings and distinctive red shanks on their hind legs.