Why are locust plagues prone to occur in drought?

1. The main reason for this phenomenon is that the arid environment has many benefits for the reproduction, growth and survival of locusts. Because locusts lay eggs in the soil. The soil is relatively solid, and when the water content is 10% ~ 20%, it is most suitable for them to lay eggs.

2. Drought makes locusts multiply and grow rapidly, and there are two reasons for the disaster. On the one hand, in dry years, due to the drop of water level, the soil becomes more solid, the water content decreases, the ground vegetation is sparse, and the number of eggs laid by locusts increases greatly, reaching 4000-5000 eggs per square meter of soil in many cases, with 500-80 eggs in each egg block, that is, 200,000-400,000 eggs per square meter.

3. In dry years, the water surface of rivers and lakes is reduced and the low-lying land is exposed, which also provides more suitable places for locusts to lay eggs. On the other hand, plants that grow in arid environment have low water content, and locusts feed on it, which makes them grow faster and have higher fertility.

Extended data:

Prevention and control methods of locust plague

1. Locusts must lay eggs on land with vegetation coverage below 50%. If a place is beautiful and there is no bare land, locusts cannot reproduce. Therefore, we must attach great importance to the protection of the ecological environment in order to fundamentally prevent and control the locust plague.

2. At present, the most effective way to kill locusts is to spray pesticides by plane. This method has high killing rate and wide killing range, but the cost is high. Moreover, chemical control can only meet temporary needs and cannot guarantee long-term stability.

3. In the long run, in order to effectively control the locust plague, we must focus on ecological construction and implement the four combinations of plant protection, biological protection, resource protection and environmental protection. In particular, it is necessary to ensure biodiversity and protect natural enemies of locusts.

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