Short Wave Can A Low-Carb Diet Prevent A Plague Of Locusts?
Jan 22, 2020
NPR science correspondent Joe Palca dives into the fascinating world of locusts and their devastating impact on agriculture. He shares insights on groundbreaking research in Arizona aimed at controlling these pests through their diets. Joe explains how environmental stress transforms grasshoppers into locusts and the historical significance of these swarming insects. He discusses innovative strategies farmers might use to manipulate locust behavior by changing soil health, all while highlighting the urgent need for sustainable pest control methods.
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Locusts vs. Grasshoppers
- All locusts are grasshoppers, but not all grasshoppers are locusts.
- Only about 19 out of 20,000 grasshopper species can transform into locusts under specific environmental conditions.
Historic US Locust Plague
- The largest recorded locust swarm, the size of California, occurred in the US.
- This Rocky Mountain locust swarm devastated crops in the 1870s, as described in Laura Ingalls Wilder's books.
Extinction of Rocky Mountain Locust
- The Rocky Mountain locust went extinct in the US in the early 1900s.
- Ariane Cease suggests human land use, like cattle farming and tilling, disrupted their breeding grounds.
