Millions of these migratory locusts have been causing devastation across outback cattle properties in Queensland, cleaning out paddocks of all their grass. The swarms recently made headlines when they converged on Aviemore Station, having gorged themselves for over two weeks. Experts attribute the sudden population surge to the abundance of feed, a consequence of a recent wet season that should have kept these insects dormant.
Female migratory locusts have the capacity to begin breeding early on in their lives. Each time they breed, they can produce 60 egg pods at a time! The short breeding cycle only compounds the problem. Now, fellow landowners and KDOT officials understand Katie Rabnott and her husband Glen’s anxiety over not knowing if they’ll get enough feed for their cattle ranch when the swarms advance.
A Growing Concern for Cattle Farmers
Such is the devastation caused by the current locust invasion, that area graziers are said to be panicking. Local landholder Mr Seccombe said the damage they were doing was horrendous.
“We’ve known they were coming … they look like swarms of budgies, they’re that big,” – Mr Seccombe.
He added, “We’ve had a magnificent season here and we’re trying to capitalise on it, but if they come through, they’ll wipe our grass out.” As a result, farmers are increasingly nervous about their future. They fear for their livestock and how much feed will be left after the locusts have done their damage.
As one of the team members, Dr. Bertie Hennecke, explained, plentiful vegetation is the preferred catalyst for locust population proliferation. “It’s not unusual to have the population increase when vegetation is around … it really depends how we move forward in terms of how that can play out,” he stated. He noted that should rainfall persist, the locust threat could last beyond initial projections.
Control Measures and Responsibilities
Per the Queensland government, it is the duty of landholders to manage locusts on their lands. For now, aerial spraying is still the most efficient way to control these pests. It is very important that this is strategic action that is taken when locusts are still immature so they don’t reproduce more.
Dr. Hennecke described the difficulty of finding locust eggs because of the masking vegetation. “It’s fairly difficult at the moment to detect eggs in the ground because of the vegetation that’s around,” he said.
The Department of Agriculture has urged landholders to take proactive measures against locusts and fulfill their general biosecurity obligations to mitigate the risk of plagues amid increased locust activity.
“The department is urging all landholders to take proactive measures against locusts and enact their general biosecurity obligation to mitigate the risk of plagues, following increased locust activity,” – spokesperson for the department.
Environmental Conditions and Future Outlook
Environmental factors are crucial for locust population dynamics. If the rains continue to be more moderate in the months ahead, the locusts will begin to die out. Of course, this drop will occur as soil moisture decreases. Dr. Hennecke pointed out that even 40 millimeters of winter rains would be enough to keep the population going, as long as conditions remain wet.
As for what happens next, he said if heavy rain persists, “we’re gonna have to do some treatment.” This could occur in late winter and early fall. As the issue continues to play out, the farmers of Collier County are still watching closely and waiting to see what comes next.
