Australian plague locust - image gallery

  • High density locust swarms trapped against trees lining the Lachlan River caused major damage to lucerne in this 2004/05 plague
  • Not all locust damage can be seen from the edge of crops. This photo shows the importance of going into crops to check for locust egg beds and locust activity.
  • Locust bands decimating a Coonamble farmers crop in its early stages.
  • Adult locusts like to lay eggs in very hard surfaces. You can just make out the abdomens of many of the adults in this picture pushed into the hard soil where the eggs will be deposited.
  • Young 1 instar locust nymphs are incredibly tiny (about 3mm in length). These locusts will begin to band in approximately 2–3 weeks which is the optimal time to apply control measures.
  • Open pods at a locust egg bed
  • Banding locusts
  • Plague locust eggpod
  • Plague locust nymphal band moving through pasture
  • High density locust swarm over a wheat crop
  • Landholders examining locust eggbeds near Trangie (Sep. 2010, photo from Central West LHPA)
  • Examining an eggpod on a property near Trangie (Sep. 2010, photo from Central West LHPA)
  • Dense locust band on a property at Carinda.
  • Dense locust band on a property at Carinda.
  • Image 15. Dense locust band on a property at Carinda.
  • Dense locust band on property at Carinda
  • Aerial spraying of locusts near Bourke
  • Pilot Dave McAnally and Minister for Primary Industries, Steve Whan, discuss aerial spraying plans in Bourke
  • Low density locust swarm found near Brewarrina, in the state's north-west (October 2010)
  • Spur-throated locust at Parkes
  • Cotton crop damaged by Spur-throated locusts, Warren
  • Spur-throated locust on citrus tree
  • Image 23. Spur-throated locust
  • Image 24. Spur-throated locust

A selection of photos from current and past locust plagues. A form to allow the public to add their own photos to the gallery will be available soon. In the meantime, if you have a photo that you would like to add, please contact webmaster@industry.nsw.gov.au

Please see copyright notice and links to high resolution images below.


Copyright notice

The following notice applies to the locust gallery images (above) and hi-res images (below) owned by Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW):

I&I NSW photographs from this locust photo gallery may be reproduced and used for in-house, educational and non-commercial purposes without further permission.

You must obtain separate permission to use the photographs for advertising, commercial promotion or any other commercial purpose.

Please acknowledge the source of the photograph as given in the caption, or in the absence of any other attribution, acknowledge Industry & Investment NSW.

For images owned by organisations/people other than I&I NSW

See more specific image copyright information.

High resolution versions

High resolution versions of most of the images in the gallery are available here: