Asiatic Locust

(Locusta migratoria migratoria), subspecies of social insects from the species of the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria). Adults are 35–55 mm long and gray-yellowish-green or green; the wing cases have brown spots. Larvae of the solitaria phase are green, yellow, or black; they are orange with black spots in the gregaria phase.

The Asiatic locust has spread into southern Europe, Asia (Kazakhstan, Central Asia, southern Siberia, Mongolia, northwest China, India, Iran, and Afghanistan), and North Africa. In the USSR, its basic foci are confined to the river-flooded areas with dense reed thickets in the south of the European USSR. It damages almost all crops, but chiefly cereals. Swarms of larvae can travel dozens of kilometers, while swarms of adult insects can migrate hundreds of kilometers, causing great damage to agriculture.