In 1954, swarms of locusts traveled from North-West Africa to the British Isles without any in-flight movies to while away their time. In 1998, a determined swarm covered 5,000 kilometers from West Africa to the Caribbean in 10 days. Desert locusts fly 16-19 kilometers per hour, on average.

An adult desert locust eats its own weight, approximately 2 grams, per day. The gorgers in an average swarm, a minority of about one ton of locusts, can consume the daily food equivalent of approximately 10 elephants, 25 camels, or 2,500 people.

When desert locusts increase in numbers, they change their behavioral patterns from being individual (solitarious) insects read: solitary paranoid fliers by merging into a group (gregarious), chatting and giggling along their journey, we can presume. Solitary desert locust adults normally fly nocturnally, whereas gregarious adults (swarms) fly during the day.

Think of locusts as a handy snack, usually stir-fried, roasted or boiled and eaten fresh, or dried and preserved for later. Locusts are Atkins food: about 62 percent of the dry weight of an adult desert locust is protein, 17 percent fat, and the remainder is inorganic constituents (Si, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Ti, Ni, P, S).

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