My Cart
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Moroccan locust – pest management
The Moroccan locust, Dociostaurus maroccanus, is a species commonly found in Southern Europe and it is less prevalent in Central Europe.
Description. The adult has a pale, reddish-gray body with dark spots. The male has a length of 17-28 mm, and the female of 25-400 mm. The eggs are laid in a cylindrical ootheca, which is generally slightly curved and 12-18 mm long. The larva in the early ages is 5-10 mm long and colored in dark brown. In the case of 4-5th stage larvae, the color is generally lighter and they have wings, which are more or less developed. The body length varies between 9-22 mm.
Life cycle. The Moroccan locust produces one generation per year and overwinters in the egg stage, laid in the oothecae. In spring, the larvae begin to hatch in late April, appearing in stages until the second decade of May. The complete development of the larvae takes place at the end of June and the first decade of July.
Crop damages. It has a phytophagous trophic diet and feeds on cultivated and spontaneous green plants: cereals (wheat, corn), alfalfa, clover, vegetables, technical plants (beets, tobacco), etc. The Moroccan locust is quite common in uncultivated land, dry meadows, etc. In the case of herbage crops, they gnaw the leaves, cutting the spikes from the base. In the case of massive invasions, only the spires remain.
In spring with heavy rains, the eggs are parasitized by numerous fungi of the genus Fusarium and Penicillium. The larvae are eaten by many insectivorous birds. Also, their spawning is destroyed by the larvae of Zonabris sp, Anastoechus nitidulus, and Thyridanthrax fenestratus.
Pest management. Treatments must be applied with specific insecticides.
Specialist's advice 
