CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What is the annual life cycle of a locust?

What is the annual life cycle of a locust?

Locusts, commonly known as "grasshoppers", belong to the order Orthoptera, including species of the superfamily Tetrigoidea, Eumastacoidea, and Locustoidea. There are more than 10,000 species in the world, and more than 1,000 species in my country. They are distributed in tropical and temperate grasslands and deserts around the world. So what is the life history of locusts?

Locusts 1. Locusts are generally facultative diapause insects, most of which overwinter as eggs in egg sacs in the soil. Only a few species such as the Japanese yellow-ridged grasshopper and the short-legged spotted grasshopper overwinter as adults.

2. The number of generations that occur in a year depends on the biological characteristics of the species and the annual effective accumulated temperature, food, light, and growth and development of each insect stage in different regions.

3. For example, the Asian migratory locust has one generation per year in the distribution area of ​​my country. The East Asian migratory locust has two generations in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the areas to the north of it, while in the high temperature and drought years in the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins, it has three generations or incomplete three generations; in South China, it has four to five generations. The Chinese rice locust has one generation in the Yangtze River and the areas to the north of it, and two generations in the south of the Yangtze River.

The above is the relevant content about what the annual life history of locusts is.

When there were locust plagues in ancient times, why didn’t the victims eat locusts?

Because locusts are gods and cannot be eaten!

The ancients were superstitious and believed that locusts were a disaster sent by God. They thought that they were gods descending to the earth and they didn't even have time to worship them, so how could they be eaten?

But in fact, locusts are not only edible, but also delicious! Locusts are also called grasshoppers, and they are a famous delicacy in Shandong. This is not nonsense, you can search on Taobao. Some people say that locusts are so ugly, how can they be eaten?

You're overthinking it. Real foodies won't be fooled by the appearance of food. In their eyes, this is a delicacy that's even more delicious than crayfish, and the black wings are no different from fried shark fins.

Modern scientific research has found that locusts are not only nutritious, soft, tender, and delicious like shrimp, but also rich in protein, carbohydrates, insect hormones and other active substances, and also contain vitamins. They are also a good medicine for treating diseases, warming the stomach and ribs, strengthening the spleen and digestion, and dispelling wind and relieving cough. I have eaten roasted locusts, and they are really delicious.

Of course, it’s not like no one has eaten it in ancient times!

In ancient times, locust plagues were rampant and people suffered. The rulers made great efforts to control the locust plagues, such as burning them with fire, beating gongs to drive them away, and whatever worked. At a time when people were generally afraid of locusts, Emperor Taizong of Tang set an example by becoming the first person in the world to eat "grasshoppers":

Emperor Taizong of Tang picked up locusts in the imperial garden and prayed: "People depend on grain for their lives. If the people have committed a sin, it is my fault. If you have a spirit, you should only eat my heart and not harm the people." Then he ate them, and there was no locust disaster that year. -- "Zhenguan Zhengyao"

See? This is eaten raw. Even Bell would have to respectfully call him the Grandmaster when seeing this!

It is also recorded in the "New History of Yuan Dynasty": "In May of the 19th year of Zhizheng (Yuan Dynasty), locusts covered the sky in Shandong, Hedong, Henan, Guanzhong and other places, eating all the crops and plants. Wherever they went, it blocked out the sun, making it impossible for people and horses to move. The pits and trenches were filled. The hungry people caught locusts for food, or dried them and stored them..." So it's not that the ancients had never eaten locusts, but the locust plague is not something that foodies can solve by eating a few locust skewers!

First, locust plagues are rampant in my country, and they occur very frequently, every few years:

According to statistics from Deng Yunte's "History of Famine Relief in China", locust plagues occurred every 8.8 years on average during the Qin and Han dynasties, 3.5 years during the Song dynasty, 1.6 years during the Yuan dynasty, and 2.8 years during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The scope and severity of the disasters are the highest in the world. Most importantly, they are extremely fast, leaving no crops wherever they pass, making it difficult to guard against them. The ancient earthen tools were not easy to catch, and of course they could not catch all of them!

This is obvious. Locusts fly in the sky. They are small and fast, so it is difficult for people on the ground to catch them. Therefore, the ancients have never been able to come up with a good way to deal with locust plagues.

Last but not least, locusts attack in groups, so it is impossible to catch them all. Locusts are flying everywhere, and you are desperate, right?

Ancient people were very superstitious and believed that this punishment from heaven could not be destroyed, so they did not eat it.

Because ancient people were more superstitious, they believed that locusts were a punishment sent by God to them, so they did not dare to eat locusts and could only watch them eat food.

Because in ancient times locusts were beneficial insects and natural enemies of pests that ate crops, disaster victims were reluctant to eat them.

Because they didn't dare. The reason was that most ancient people were superstitious and believed that locusts were sent by God to punish mankind. They were divine creatures, so of course they didn't think of eating them.