Locusts vs. Cicadas: Key Differences Every Gardener Should Know
Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers that form swarms; cicadas are insects that spend years underground, emerging to sing and mate.
People mix them up because both appear in large numbers and make noise, but locusts eat crops while cicadas sip sap and rarely cause serious damage.
Key Differences
Locusts have chewing mouthparts, hop or fly in tight swarms, and are active during the day. Cicadas have straw-like mouthparts, cling to plants, and sing at dusk.
Which One Should You Choose?
You don’t choose either—they choose your garden. If you see hopping masses stripping leaves, act fast; if you hear droning from treetops, relax, it’s cicada season.
Examples and Daily Life
Imagine mistaking a cicada shell on a tomato stake for a locust omen. Gardeners often panic, but the hollow shell signals harmless visitors, not a swarm.
Are locusts dangerous to my vegetable patch?
Only in swarms; individual locusts nibble, but swarms can defoliate plants quickly.
Do cicadas harm trees or shrubs?
Minor twig scars from egg-laying; established plants shrug it off.