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Locusts are extremely harmful to humans. Read The Old Testament remember that the locust invasion there was mentioned in as the eighth, most brutal (out of ten) Egyptian execution. A The Kiev chronicles of the 11th century reports that the locust came the ground, so it was scary to watch. She moved north and devoured millet and grass on its way. Generally History Abounds examples of how flocks of these terrible insects in minutes destroyed crops, thereby condemning people to hunger and death.
Only herd locusts are terrible
A gluttonous pest sweeps literally everything in its path. Behind day, an adult is able to “feed” so much green food, how much she weighs herself. The offspring of only one female eats for summer diet of two adult sheep.
In nature, the locust is represented in two “guises”: this harmless filly that live alone, and herd insects – dangerous for crops. Surprisingly, even the average locust flock, numbering about 2 billion individuals, forms in the air “clouds” with an area of up to 12 square kilometers! Such an army can destroy up to 4 thousand tons of vegetation per day. But there are so many 1 million people, or 40 thousand elephants, or 100 thousand camels! When the locust gobbled up in just an hour Morocco 60 tons of oranges, the locals gave her expressive the nickname is “a cloud of flying hunger.”
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Such “clouds”, by the way, can overcome up to 40 kilometers per hour. A case has been recorded when these malicious pests left Morocco in the morning, and by night ended up in Portugal.
The sound of locusts rubbing in flight is similar to strong peals thunder; because of him, the pilots do not even hear the rumble of the engines of their cars. When such an armada attacks the crops, then literally for a few minutes in the place of lush greenery remains bare dead earth with trees sticking out in some places, broken under the weight of the winged “interventionists”.
Clouds of hungry locusts
Many historical chronicles describe how locust invasions led to the extinction of entire nations. So, at 125 BC, hordes of these insects fell upon Numidia and Cyrenaica, as a result of which about 800 thousand died of hunger human. And in 944. a similar fate befell the inhabitants of Baghdad, with there were so many locusts that she covered the sun with herself. Has arrived night followed by a terrible famine.
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Finally, in the middle of the 18th century, locusts reached Europe. The famous German zoologist A. Brehm, in particular, told as in 1748 winged gluttons flooded the Hungarian city of Sandu and covered his roads with a 20-centimeter layer, so even horse hussars could not pass on them. Resourceful citizens released on Streets of pigs that began to crush and trample insects … However, locusts ultimately won the battle, destroying almost everything sown by people.
Accustomed to the devastating invasions of the locusts, the Americans were, nonetheless shocked by the scale of the disaster that the voracious insects perpetrated in 1875. in the state of Texas. After a few days of them atrocities nowhere to be seen a single leaflet, not a single blades of grass! .. Damage caused to the state was estimated in millions of dollars. Frantic acridas even eaten wool on Texas sheep! One a local resident said that she left the house in a dress on which flaunted a green pattern. Immediately the locusts that clung to her for a few seconds turned the outfit into a holey rag! ..
And in later times, “clouds of flying hunger” more than once covered the sun over the heads of unhappy people. For example, in the 40s years of the past century, such a disaster occurred in Africa. Witnesses in horror told how a host of winged insects, sinking into the fields, she began to move forward, and remained behind him completely bare earth. Thousands of people then died of starvation. IN 1958 locust doomed to excruciating death in the same way millions of Ethiopian people.
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And today, traveling the African continent, you can read the announcement that the train is canceled because locust infestation expected. The reason is that the railway in places it goes up and crushed insects represent a serious obstacle for a locomotive that stalls and slides back way down…
We suffer from locust cannibalism
What causes locusts to stray into giant flocks? Pretty For a long time scientists believed that insects are in the stage of filly before as long as they have enough food. When is the “food supply” dry up, peaceful filly turns into a real scourge of God – aggressive locusts. Researchers, however, were confused by the fact that in the last years of the summer months were hot and arid, eating definitely not enough, and no transformations were observed. AND on the contrary, in 1875 in Texas there was enough food so no less there were huge swarms of locusts … It turns out that hunger nothing to do with it?
Most recently, scientists at Oxford University held interesting experiment and found out that the reason for the transformation is insufficient protein in the diet of insects, which is fraught cannibalism.
The essence of the experiment was as follows: placed in various containers 20 individuals each, plus several more insects individually. Two the experimental subjects were on three different diets: one in mainly received carbohydrates with food, others – proteins, and others – food with equal amount of carbohydrates and proteins. After 48 hours the researchers measured the speed with which they were moving now insects. As it turned out, in single individuals, regardless of diet, she was 3 centimeters per second. The same thing was observed in groups, where the subjects ate balanced and also received a lot squirrel. But those insects that didn’t get it moved almost twice as fast and showed aggressive behavior.
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Scientists have suggested that with these latter the following happens: some of them run away, fearing to become prey, while others catch up with the first to eat.
While the locust is herbivorous, it consumes and protein food: these are larvae and dead insects left on the grass and leaves. When the locust loses its “protein subsidies, “she begins to hunt her own kindred and organized in a flock. At the same time, potential victims gather flock in an effort to escape from cannibals, because together it’s easier to survive. So it turns out that the locust invasion is an escape million persecuted from millions of pursuers. Destruction crops and other vegetation occurs as if along the way, because you need something to eat in order to fly …
So scientists concluded that insects, having received what they need amount of protein, again become peaceful filly. And that means that locust attacks can be prevented by spraying protein top dressing over areas where dangerous begins turning …
Tasty locust
However, locusts can not only lead a person to hunger death, but also save from it. For example, from the Bible we know that, being in the wilderness, John the Baptist ate honey from wild bees and acrid, that is, locusts. These same insects served as food and to some other righteous, including St. Anthony.
It is known that the locust diet described in his writings Herodotus. And one old Arabic book contains a culinary recipe whose main ingredient is locust. In the book it is said that these insects can be eaten fresh, but you can to prepare for the future, tearing off their wings and legs, and then frying or welded. Locusts are also dried in the sun and pushed into powder, on the basis of which very hearty cakes are baked.
It is noteworthy that when, for example, in Baghdad the locust invasion, market meat has depreciated, and not by chance, since these insects, this “manna from heaven” contains 46 percent protein and many useful for the human body trace elements.
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Gourmets who have tasted the locusts say it tastes similar roasted chestnuts or chicken; to some, she reminds crayfish.
Bedouins fed the locusts of their camels, horses and dogs, and dried acridas were procured for future use. They collected insects on sunset, when they lost their activity. In the camp brought to bags of “booty” were poured into boiling boilers, and in the morning the mountains were dumped cooked insects to dry under the hot sun. Then dried the locusts went into bags and sprinkled with salt to last longer kept. These are the chips! .. By the way, they became the only food for people and their animals after being rolled on the ground devastating raid of an insatiable locust …
Insects Locust Sun
