Locust advice for your property

Both beekeepers and landholders share responsibility for managing the risk to bees when spraying locusts. Bees can die by coming into direct contact with insecticides, or by insecticide residues being brought back to the hive. If this occurs, entire colonies could die, or be so weakened, that honey production could cease until the colony recovers.

Landholders

If beehives are located on or near your property:

• Contact the beekeeper before spraying where possible.
• Follow all bee protection statements on the product label.
• Avoid spraying when bees are actively feeding.
• Consider not spraying.

To help reduce the risk to your hives:

• Let nearby landholders know where your hives are located. Provide them with your contact details (including mobile number) and request that they contact you before spraying locusts.
• Make sure your contact details are easy to find. Write contact details onto your hives so that you can be contacted.
• Check current locust activity and spraying updates regularly.

Some insecticides can remain active for weeks. Where practical, move hives away from areas likely to be treated.

If you provide a pollination service, discuss spraying risks with growers before moving hives. Do not return hives to treated areas until spraying has finished and any harmful chemicals have broken down. This could take up to 28 days for some chemicals.

Pastures and fodder crops can be severely damaged by locusts, particularly newly sown pastures and crops that stay green for longer, such as lucerne.

What to monitor

• Locust activity and feeding damage
• Egg laying sites and evidence of egg beds
• Hopper bands in paddocks
• Vulnerable pasture and fodder crops

Management considerations

Before using an insecticide:

• Read and follow the product label.
• Understand withholding periods and grazing restrictions.
• Seek advice from an agronomist or chemical reseller.

Locusts prefer young tender green shoots and leaves. They can also damage grain crops that are nearly mature if the crop remains green.

Crops most at risk

• Wheat
• Barley
• Oats
• Lupins – from pod bronzing
• Canola – after the flowering stage
• Chickpeas
• Field peas
• Faba beans

What to monitor

• Hopper activity
• Feeding damage
• Crop edges and paddocks near known locust infestations

Management considerations

When choosing an insecticide, consider:

• crop type
• trade requirements
• environmentally sensitive areas such as waterways
• withholding periods.

Chemical residues

All producers must safeguard against the risk of unacceptable agricultural chemical residues in agricultural produce (including grains, wool, meat and milk) in areas where locust control agents have been applied. Unacceptable residues can lead to restriction or closure of export markets. It is important for chemical users to read and understand the chemical product labels.

For more information about chemical residues visit Chemical use and crop residues.

Fruit and nut producers

Young trees are most vulnerable to locust damage. Heavy feeding can strip leaves, reduce growth and affect yield and fruit quality.

What to monitor

• Orchard boundaries
• Hopper activity
• Leaf and shoot damage
• Young trees and new growth

Management considerations

Large numbers of adult locusts can damage orchards quickly.

Before spraying:

• Consider impacts on pollinators.
• Check withholding periods.
• Review export market requirements.
• Seek professional advice on suitable control options.
• Bird and hail netting may provide some protection, although locusts can damage netting.

Locusts can reduce tree foliage, which may decrease tree growth and crop yields. Fruit and nuts can also be damaged, and increased sun exposure due to leaf loss may reduce their quality.

Mature trees usually suffer little long-term damage and often recover, with normal production returning the following season while young buds, small fruit, and green nuts are more vulnerable to locust feeding.

Locust damage can be severe because adult locusts can strip trees of leaves within hours. Damage is often unpredictable, as some orchards may be heavily affected while nearby orchards are not. Orchard edges are usually attacked first, so growers should monitor orchard boundaries and nearby paddocks for locust hoppers.

Ground spraying is the most effective control method. Both chemical and biological products are available. If spraying during flowering, growers should consider the impact on pollinators. Bird or hail netting may provide some protection, although locusts can sometimes damage the netting.

When choosing an insecticide, growers should check label restrictions, withholding periods, and harvest timings to avoid unacceptable chemical residues in fruit or nuts, which can affect access to export markets.

Insecticide use may also disrupt Integrated Pest Management programs, depending on the product used. Growers should monitor for secondary pests, such as mites and thrips, after spraying.

If you are a supplier of fruit or nut by-products for stock feed (e.g. pomace, seconds, hulls and shells), you will need to supply a commodity vendor declaration to your client so that they can avoid any potential unacceptable chemical residues.

Citrus producers

Locusts prefer grasses and cereal crops. However, when these food sources are scarce, they may feed on other green plants, including citrus trees. Young trees and new growth are most at risk, although mature trees can also be affected.

While citrus trees can tolerate some leaf loss, severe feeding can reduce tree growth and affect fruit quality and yield.

Regularly monitor orchards and surrounding areas for locust hoppers, signs of feeding damage and infestations. Pay particular attention to orchard boundaries, as these areas are often attacked first.

Locusts prefer young, tender shoots and leaves. As a result, seedlings and young vegetable and herb crops are most at risk, while mature crops nearing harvest are generally less susceptible to damage.

Regularly monitor crops for locust hoppers and signs of feeding damage, particularly during periods of increased locust activity.

Locusts can damage grapevines when present in large numbers. Young vines and new shoots are most vulnerable, with severe feeding potentially causing stunted growth, delayed establishment or, in extreme cases, plant death. While mature vines generally survive locust attacks, significant feeding can reduce grape quality and yield.

Large swarms can defoliate grapevines within hours. Damage is often uneven, with some vineyards heavily affected while neighbouring properties experience little or no damage. Vineyard edges are commonly attacked first because locusts often lay eggs in bare ground along fence lines, roadsides and headlands.

Loss of leaves reduces the vine's ability to ripen fruit, which can affect grape quality and yields in the current season. Heavy defoliation may also affect vine performance in the following season. Defoliation can expose grape bunches to increased sunlight and heat, raising the risk of sunburn and reducing fruit quality.

Monitor vineyards regularly for locust hoppers, particularly along vineyard boundaries and areas of bare ground.

Mowing or spraying grasses between rows may reduce food sources for locusts. However, removing this vegetation can encourage locusts to move onto grapevines and cause greater damage to leaves and shoots.

If you grow grapes or produce wine for export, be aware that maximum residue limits (MRLs) of import tolerances may differ to those in Australia or may not exist in some markets. Dried fruit producers should also note that residue limits may differ from those for fresh grapes because the drying process can concentrate chemical residues.

If you are growing crops for export, check with your peak industry body or the manufacturer of the product for the latest information on MRLs and import tolerances before using the insecticide.

Some vine products, such as grape marc, are fed to livestock as alternative sources of feed. It is vital that no unacceptable chemical residues remain in feed for livestock and that all applicable withholding periods are observed. Residues in animals may need to be considered, in addition to residues in the grape harvest.

All landholders are responsible for managing locusts on their property.

It is strongly recommended that organic growers consult their organic certification agency regarding the use of locust treatment products.

There are biological insecticides registered for use in Australia for the control of Australian plague locust that are approved by organic certifying bodies. Green Guard® contains a naturally occurring fungus, Metarhizium, which is used as a biocontrol agent. The fungal spores attach to, and then penetrate, the locust body growing inside it until eventually causing the death of the insect. The fungus can take up to 20 days to kill the locust but can be applied in situations where conventional chemicals are not appropriate such as water ways and areas of high conservation value.

This mode of action is slower when compared to alternative chemicals such as organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids (which stop locust feeding within a few hours and kills locusts within 2 or 3 days).

Green Guard® has been used for widespread control operations in Australia. However, it should be noted that while the use of a particular product may be acceptable under certain Australian certification standards, the standards applicable in other jurisdictions may differ.

Organic farmers should seek expert advice from their chemical reseller or agronomist as to which insecticides are available and best suit their situation.

Organic farmers should also speak to their neighbours who may use conventional chemicals to treat locusts which could potentially impact on the organic status of a farm. The establishment of buffer zones around sensitive areas may minimise risks and should be planned ahead of spraying.

Locusts can damage many tree species, including eucalypts, she-oaks, wattles and pines. Damage may be caused by locally hatched hoppers or by flying adult locusts.

Young plantations are most at risk. Plantations less than 1 year old provide suitable sites for egg laying, and locusts are attracted to lush green growth. Severe defoliation can reduce tree growth and affect plantation productivity.

Trees planted individually or in narrow shelterbelts are particularly vulnerable. Once a plantation develops a closed canopy, the risk of damage generally decreases.

What to monitor

Regularly inspect:

• plantation edges
• adjacent paddocks
• tracks and firebreaks
• hopper activity near tree plantings
• signs of feeding damage on young trees.

Management considerations

When locusts are present in the area, a treated strip of pasture or crop around the plantation can help prevent hoppers from moving into young trees.

Young plantations may remain vulnerable throughout the locust season while trees have fresh green growth.

Locusts prefer young, tender shoots and leaves. Nurseries, particularly those producing seedlings, can be at risk of damage from large numbers of adult locusts.

What to monitor

Regularly check for:

• locust activity in and around nursery areas
• feeding damage to seedlings and young plants
• changes in pest populations after spraying.

Cultivated turf, sports grounds, golf courses and parklands can be highly vulnerable to locust damage. Australian plague locusts prefer short, green vegetation and can quickly damage large areas of turf.

You can protect your home or community garden from locust damage using non-chemical and chemical control methods.

Non-chemical options

For small numbers of locusts, you can:

• Use insect mesh or shade cloth to protect plants. Avoid green materials, as locusts are attracted to green.
• Remove locusts by hand where practical.