(NEWS 18) – Locusts, a type of grasshopper, have often been called ‘piranhas of the skies’ for having a destructive effect on a region’s ecology. Earlier this week, skies in many towns of southeastern Mexico were left covered in a swarm of locusts. These swarms ruined the fruit trees in the areas and collided with the apartments and buildings before they left two days later. On December 7, an X user shared a picture of a locust swarm covering the sky and wrote, “I won’t open my mouth again!” in Spanish. Another shared a video of a locust swarm and wrote, “World’s End. Locust invasion in Mérida.”
In holy texts, there are multiple mentions of locust swarm as a form of God’s punishment for the sins of mankind. Therefore many people see locusts swarm as a sign of impending apocalypse.
Locusts swarming have been linked to humid conditions and high rainfall. In normal weather conditions, locust numbers are kept under control by natural mortality rates. However, rainfall leads to plenty of greenery that provides nutrition for locusts. This triggers a growth in their numbers. When their numbers multiply disproportionately, the locusts get in close contact with each other. According to BBC Science Focus, “the sight, smell, and touch of other locusts causes a flood of serotonin in their brains, which in turn causes genes that control their ‘gregarious’ phase to switch on, and ‘solitary’ genes to switch off.”
