What Happened to Locusts?
Locusts are a type of short-horned grasshopper that can transform from a solitary phase into a gregarious, swarming phase under specific environmental conditions, leading to devastating plagues that consume vast amounts of vegetation. The early 2020s saw a major Desert Locust upsurge in East Africa and Yemen, exacerbated by climate change, which severely threatened food security. While that upsurge was largely suppressed by early 2022, new outbreaks have emerged in Northwest Africa, Namibia, and Australia in 2025 and 2026, prompting ongoing surveillance and control efforts.
Quick Answer
Locusts are grasshoppers that, when conditions are right (often after heavy rains leading to abundant vegetation and subsequent crowding), undergo a behavioral and physiological transformation, forming massive, destructive swarms. After a major crisis in East Africa and Yemen from 2019-2021, largely brought under control by 2022, new outbreaks have been reported in Northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya) since late 2024, continuing into May 2026. Additionally, increased Australian plague locust activity was noted in South Australia in May 2026, and desert locust outbreaks in Namibia in May 2026, highlighting the persistent global threat these pests pose to agriculture and food security.
📊Key Facts
📅Complete Timeline15 events
East Africa Desert Locust Upsurge Begins
Unusual heavy and widespread rains in late 2019, linked to cyclones in the Indian Ocean, create ideal breeding conditions, leading to a significant Desert Locust outbreak in the Horn of Africa.
FAO Warns of Worst Outbreak in Decades
The FAO declares the Desert Locust situation in East Africa as the worst in 25 years for most affected countries, and 70 years for Kenya, posing a serious threat to food security and livelihoods.
Swarms Spread Across East Africa
Locust swarms spread to eight countries in East Africa, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, and Eritrea, with a high risk of reaching South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Swarms Reach India and Pakistan
Locust swarms originating from the Arabian Peninsula invade parts of India and Pakistan, causing significant crop damage, with India estimating over 200,000 hectares affected.
Infestations Persist in Ethiopia and Somalia
FAO reports that desert locust infestations are expected to persist in Ethiopia and Somalia through at least March 2021, with Yemen remaining a significant breeding reservoir.
Climate Change Link Highlighted
Scientists and organizations, including the Global Landscapes Forum and FAO, draw links between the increased frequency and intensity of locust outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and climate change, particularly powerful cyclones.
East Africa Upsurge Declared Suppressed
After extensive control operations and significant international support, the FAO announces that the Desert Locust upsurge in East Africa and Yemen has been largely suppressed.
New Predictive Tool Developed
The University of Cambridge develops a new tool that uses weather forecast data and computational models to predict desert locust swarm behavior, aiming to improve early warning and control.
FAO Warns of Northwest Africa Outbreak
The FAO issues a warning about a potential Desert Locust outbreak in Morocco, as swarms, fueled by heavy rains in late 2024 and rising temperatures, spread across central Algeria, western Libya, and southern Tunisia.
Significant Outbreaks in North Africa
Significant Desert Locust outbreaks are reported in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Saudi Arabia, with smaller bands appearing elsewhere across the Sahara Desert's northern boundary, due to favorable breeding conditions.
Soil Health Improves Locust Control
Scientists working with farmers in Senegal demonstrate that enriching soil with nitrogen can dramatically reduce locust damage to crops and double yields, offering a new sustainable control method.
Outbreak Continues in Western Sahara and Morocco
The serious Desert Locust outbreak continues in Western Sahara and southern Morocco, with adult groups increasing and moving northward, reaching the Canary Islands and Algeria.
Locust Outbreak in Namibia
A Desert Locust outbreak is detected in parts of Namibia's Erongo and Hardap regions, with swarms destroying grazing and natural vegetation, prompting deployment of control teams.
Australian Plague Locust Activity Increases
Following record-breaking rainfall in February 2026, Australian plague locust activity increases across parts of South Australia, with low- to medium-density populations present.
Ongoing Monitoring and Breeding Forecasts
The FAO's May 2026 Desert Locust Bulletin reports continued breeding in Morocco, increasing hopper groups and bands, and forecasts small-scale spring breeding in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen, requiring ongoing surveillance.
🔍Deep Dive Analysis
Locusts are specific species of short-horned grasshoppers (family Acrididae) that exhibit a unique phenomenon called phase polyphenism. Normally solitary, they undergo dramatic changes in behavior, morphology, and physiology when their populations become dense due to favorable environmental conditions, typically heavy rainfall followed by lush vegetation. This crowding triggers a release of serotonin, making them gregarious, increasing their mobility, and altering their appetite, leading to the formation of massive, highly destructive swarms. These swarms can contain billions of insects, cover hundreds to thousands of square kilometers, and consume their own body weight in food daily, devastating crops and pastures.
The most significant recent event was the Desert Locust upsurge that began in late 2019 and ravaged the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen through 2021. This outbreak was the worst in 25 years for Ethiopia and Somalia, and 70 years for Kenya, putting nearly 40 million people at risk of food insecurity. The crisis was largely attributed to unusual weather and climate conditions, particularly powerful cyclones in the western Indian Ocean in 2018 and 2019, which dumped heavy rains in arid breeding grounds in the Arabian Peninsula. These conditions created vast areas of green vegetation, fueling rapid locust multiplication and spread across the Red Sea into East Africa.
Key turning points included the rapid escalation of the crisis in early 2020, prompting the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to launch a massive, coordinated response. Despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and regional insecurity, extensive aerial and ground control operations were implemented. By early 2022, with significant international support, the FAO declared the upsurge in East Africa and Yemen largely suppressed, preventing an even greater humanitarian disaster.
However, the threat of locusts remains persistent. Since late 2024, and continuing into 2025 and 2026, new outbreaks have emerged in Northwest Africa. Unusually heavy rains in late 2024 and rising temperatures in early 2025 created ideal breeding conditions in the Sahel and southern Sahara, leading to significant infestations in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco. The FAO has issued caution-level alerts for these regions, emphasizing the need for sustained surveillance and rapid control to prevent further spread.
As of May 31, 2026, Desert Locust activity continues in Western Sahara and southern Morocco, with hopper groups and small bands increasing, and breeding observed in Algeria. Small-scale spring breeding is also anticipated in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen. In other parts of the world, a desert locust outbreak was detected in Namibia's Erongo and Hardap regions in May 2026, destroying grazing and natural vegetation. Additionally, Australian plague locust activity increased in South Australia in May 2026 following record rainfall in February, with potential for further population increases later in the year. Research in 2026 also highlighted new control methods, showing that improving soil health with nitrogen can make crops less appealing to locusts, reducing damage and doubling yields.
What If...?
Explore alternate histories. What if Locusts made different choices?