Question 1

True or false: Migratory locusts only swarm in Africa and the Middle East, never in Europe or Asia.

Accepted Answer

False. Migratory locusts swarm in many regions, including Europe and Asia. The Oriental migratory locust regularly swarms in Asia, and swarms have occurred in southern Europe.

Question 2

True or false: Migratory locusts are solitary insects that only swarm when they are threatened by predators.

Accepted Answer

False. Swarming is triggered by crowding, not predators. Solitary locusts become gregarious when population density increases due to food or habitat conditions.

Question 3

True or false: Migratory locusts can change their behavior and color based on population density.

Accepted Answer

True. At low density they are solitary and green; at high density they become gregarious, yellow and black, forming swarms.

Question 4

True or false: A single square kilometer of a migratory locust swarm can eat as much food in a day as 35,000 people.

Accepted Answer

True. A large swarm consumes roughly the same daily weight of food as a major city’s population, devastating crops rapidly.

Question 5

True or false: The desert locust, not the migratory locust, is the species responsible for the biblical plagues of Egypt.

Accepted Answer

True. The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is widely considered the species behind the biblical plagues, as it is the most destructive swarming locust in North Africa and the Middle East, fitting the Exodus narrative.

Question 6

True or false: Some migratory locusts can live for up to five years in their adult stage.

Accepted Answer

False. Adult migratory locusts typically live only a few months, with total lifespan rarely exceeding 8–10 months; a five-year lifespan is biologically impossible.

Question 7

True or false: Migratory locusts have been recorded flying nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the Americas.

Accepted Answer

False. The 1988 transatlantic crossing was made by desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria), not migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria). Migratory locusts have no known records of such flights.

Question 8

True or false: Female migratory locusts lay their eggs in the ground using a long, sword-like ovipositor.

Accepted Answer

False. Females use a short, robust ovipositor to dig a shallow hole in soil for egg pods—not a sword-like structure.

Migratory Locust Trivia Questions