Page Content
Landholder Locust Management
Landholder control of locusts
Who's involved in locust control in your state:
| State |
Department |
|---|---|
| NSW | Rural Lands Protection Boards (RLPB) and NSW Department of Primary Industries. The RLPB organises landholder control of bands and distributes insecticide. For further information contact the Ranger at your local Rural Lands Protection Board. |
| SA | |
| VIC | Department of Primary Industries |
| QLD | Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries |
| WA | Department of Agriculture and Food WA |
Contact phone numbers for your nearest office can be found in your local telephone directory.
Objectives of landholder control
Throughout Australia, primary control of locusts is the responsibility of the landholder. Officers from the relevant state authority, as listed above, are available to provide technical assistance, do inspections and advise on control techniques. These officers should be your first point of contact when reporting locust infestations or making enquiries about locust control.
The most effective way for landholders to control locusts is by ground spraying the hoppers when they have formed into dense aggregations called bands. The time available for controlling an outbreak of locusts is short. Hoppers take about 5 weeks to develop into swarming adults. Hoppers are much easier to control than swarming adults. The hoppers usually take 1-2 weeks after hatching to form into dense bands suitable for spraying.
Ploughing fields where locusts have laid eggs is unlikely to have a significant impact on the overall population. Most egg laying would have gone unnoticed especially in areas where ploughing is not possible (for example, in hard soil along roads or tracks). Although there are a number of natural enemies of locusts such as birds, spiders and insects, none are able to effectively regulate locust numbers during an outbreak.
Insecticides registered for locust control
A number of insecticides are registered for locust control but these vary from state to state and over time. Check with your relevant state authorities for the latest list of insecticides registered for locust control.
Further information
Download the SAFEMEAT brochure:
Plague locusts, wingless grasshoppers and livestock residues 
PDF [157Kb] and its Supplement PDF [86Kb]
Australian locust information that is relevant to where you live is available from your state government website.
