Locust vs Grasshopper: How to Tell Them Apart

The quickest way to tell a locust from a grasshopper is behavior and numbers. If you see a grasshopper alone in grass or on a plant, it is a grasshopper. If you see hundreds or thousands of them together moving as a unified group, you are watching locusts. A second tell is color. Solitary grasshoppers tend to be green, brown, or camouflaged to match vegetation. Locusts in their swarming phase shift color to yellow, orange, or brown, which appears when they crowd together. A third tell is activity level. Solitary grasshoppers rest frequently and stay in one area. Locusts are in constant motion, hopping and flying to new areas to feed. If the insects you see are actively stripping vegetation and moving together across the landscape, they are locusts. Check for these three signs: numbers, color, and relentless movement.

Locusts and grasshoppers look similar because locusts are grasshoppers in their gregarious phase. However, swarming locusts show physical differences from their solitary cousins. Locusts tend to have shorter wings relative to body size compared to solitary grasshoppers. Their bodies become more compact and streamlined for migration. Solitary grasshoppers are more variable in appearance depending on species and habitat. Most grasshoppers range from half an inch to three inches long. Locusts are typically one to two inches long in most swarming species. The leg structure is similar in both forms, with powerful hind legs built for jumping. Locusts develop stronger hind leg muscles when crowded, which aids their traveling and swarming behavior. For more details on insect identification, check wildlife guides. The key difference is not size alone but the changes that occur during the transformation from solitary to swarming phase.

Grasshoppers live on every continent except Antarctica and thrive in nearly every climate from deserts to mountains to grasslands. Solitary grasshoppers stay in one area throughout their life, feeding on local plants. Locusts also occur worldwide but are known for their massive migration events. Swarming locusts can travel hundreds of miles, crossing deserts, grasslands, and farmland. In North America, grasshoppers are common throughout the region. Swarming locusts are less of a problem here than in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where they cause agricultural devastation. Some North American grasshoppers can form smaller swarms under certain conditions. Desert locusts in Africa and the Middle East are the most destructive on Earth, capable of consuming their own body weight in vegetation each day. Grasshoppers are present year-round in warmer regions and seasonally in cooler areas. Locusts are most active during warm months when populations peak. Visit /wildlife to learn more about insect identification.

The most obvious difference between locusts and grasshoppers is social behavior. Solitary grasshoppers avoid each other and are territorial. They communicate through sound but do not swarm. Each grasshopper feeds on plants within its small home range. Locusts exhibit dramatic behavior changes when crowded. They shift from solitary to gregarious phase, meaning they activate their social instincts. Swarming locusts move together, communicate through touch and chemical signals, and migrate as a unit. They feed more aggressively and continuously. Solitary grasshoppers chirp to attract mates and defend territory. Swarming locusts produce loud collective sounds and move relentlessly across the landscape. This transformation is triggered by crowding and high population density. In years when grasshopper populations explode, some solitary species can shift into swarming phase temporarily. Solitary grasshoppers are relatively harmless to crops when present in normal numbers. Learn more about swarms and insect identification. Swarming locusts are among the most destructive agricultural pests on Earth.

If you saw insects jumping or hopping in grass, ask yourself first: how many were there? If you saw one or a few, it was a grasshopper. If you saw dozens, hundreds, or thousands moving together, it was locusts. Second, what was the color? Grasshoppers are green, brown, or tan to blend with vegetation. Locusts are yellow, orange, or bright brown, especially in large groups. Third, was the insect moving quickly across the landscape or staying in one spot? Solitary grasshoppers rest frequently and forage in small areas. Locusts are in constant motion, traveling to new feeding areas. Fourth, were the insects stripping vegetation intensively? Solitary grasshoppers feed selectively. Swarming locusts devour plants completely. If the insects were alone or in small numbers, green or brown, and relatively stationary, you saw a grasshopper. If they were numerous, bright colored, mobile, and feeding intensively, you observed swarming locusts. Most casual observers will see grasshoppers regularly and locusts only during outbreaks.

One major confusion is that many insects are called locusts incorrectly. Cicadas are often called locusts in North America, but they are completely different insects with piercing mouthparts and a different life cycle. Cicadas spend years underground as nymphs and emerge once to breed and die. Grasshoppers and locusts complete their entire life cycle above ground in one growing season. Another confusion is thinking that all locusts are a separate species from grasshoppers. They are not. Locusts are grasshoppers, just in their swarming phase. The transformation is reversible. If a swarming population is reduced, survivors revert to solitary phase and behave like normal grasshoppers. Some people think locusts are always destructive. Actually, most years locusts remain in low-density solitary phase and cause no problems. Only during population explosions do they swarm and damage crops. Understanding that locusts and grasshoppers are the same insect in different behavioral states helps explain why populations fluctuate so dramatically. Check /wildlife resources for regional information about local grasshoppers and locusts.