In the dry interior of south-west Queensland, a long quiet has broken, and the locusts that once shaped the state's farming memory are rising again. Drivers on the western roads have noticed them first, and the state's locust commissioner now describes a population built over eighteen months of soft soil, green growth and gentle weather. The insects are moving, and their next flight will decide which sowings are spared, leaving growers and officials to wait, watch and read the land for what comes next.
Queensland locust numbers climb in west as DPI warns growers ahead of summer sowing
18 months of good breeding conditions have built up to this
Mark
Why is this being treated as a bigger deal than a bad season for bugs?
Mimi
Because it's been about 20 years since Queensland had a major outbreak, and the commissioner says conditions have been good for breeding since the start of 2025. That's 18 months of buildup.
Mark
And the risk is highest where?
Mimi
Cropping country. Around Roma, growers are planning to sow sorghum within days to weeks, and Smith says emerging crops, including forage sorghum, are where vigilance matters most.
Luke
Has there been actual crop damage yet?
Mimi
Not that she's reported. She said she hasn't had many reports of pasture damage so far, but that it could happen.
Luke
So the threat is forecast, not confirmed damage.
Mimi
Fair. The numbers are rising and people are seeing them flying, but the warning is about what could follow.
Mark
What has already been done?
Mimi
Three treatment campaigns between Alpha and Jericho, covering around 40 properties, which she says knocked down the migratory locust populations.
Luke
And what's the plan from here?
Mimi
There isn't one yet. Smith said there's no control plan until they see what's on the ground, and she expects to know more next week.
Luke
Then the reports from landholders carry a lot of weight.
Mimi
They do. The DPI doesn't have officers everywhere, and it needs sightings to map where locusts are and what life stage they're in.
Der Puls
- Locust counts are climbing across western and south-west Queensland after roughly two decades of calm, and drivers are seeing swarms on the road and in the air.
- Summer sorghum fields around Roma sit in the path of the rising numbers, with planting days away and growers forced to watch every emerging shoot.
- Three treatment campaigns between Alpha and Jericho have knocked back migratory locusts across about 40 properties, but the broader breeding country is still filling up.
- Biosecurity officials are relying on landholders to phone in sightings, since control works best at the ground-bound nymph stage, and no statewide plan exists until the next week's picture forms.
In the dry interior of south-west Queensland, a long quiet has broken, and the locusts that once shaped the state's farming memory are rising again. Drivers on the western roads have noticed them first, and the state's locust commissioner now describes a population built over eighteen months of soft soil, green growth and gentle weather. The insects are moving, and their next flight will decide which sowings are spared, leaving growers and officials to wait, watch and read the land for what comes next.
On a Friday in mid-November, Michelle Smith, who manages invasive species operations at Biosecurity Queensland and serves as the state's locust commissioner, spoke about something many people in the west had already seen for themselves. Locusts were appearing on roads and in the air in numbers nobody had seen in a long time. The state had not faced a major outbreak in about twenty years, and the first official reports had only come in during mid-2025.
The concern centres on three species, the Australian plague locust, the migratory locust and the spur-throated locust. Their power to migrate makes them especially dangerous to cropping country, since a population born in the Channel Country can travel east. Earlier treatment campaigns between Alpha and Jericho, covering around forty properties, reduced the migratory locust numbers, but activity is now building around Augathella, Charleville, Roma and Morven. Soil moisture, warmth and abundant green feed since early 2025 have made the south-west an ideal breeding ground, and a mild winter with a wet spring has added to it.
The greatest worry is for growers about to plant summer crops, particularly sorghum and forage crops near Roma. Smith urged vigilance with emerging plants and asked anyone who sees locusts to report them on 13 25 23 or by email. Landholders can also treat their own pasture with registered products, and early action at the nymph stage offers the best chance of control. For now there is no formal control plan, and officials expect a clearer picture next week.
On Friday, November 13, Michelle Smith spoke to Queensland Country Life about something many drivers in the state's west have been noticing for themselves: locusts, on the road and on the wing, in numbers not seen in a long time. Smith manages operations for the invasive plants and animals program at Biosecurity Queensland, part of the Department of Primary Industries, and she also holds the title of Queensland locust commissioner.
The department's first reports of locusts came in mid-2025, she said, and the state has not had a major outbreak for a good 20 years. Three species cause economic damage: the Australian plague locust, the migratory locust and the spur-throated locust. What worries the department about them is their ability to migrate. A population that starts in the Channel Country can move east, which makes them a bigger threat to cropping regions than other species.
There has already been a response. The DPI has run three treatment campaigns between Alpha and Jericho, covering around 40 properties, and Smith said those knocked down the migratory locust populations. The commissioner's role, she explained, is to keep watch across the state, working closely with the Australian Plague Locust Commission, a federal body that does much of the surveillance and monitoring in western Queensland and uses it for population modelling and predictions.
Despite that work, numbers are building, particularly around Augathella, Charleville, Roma and Morven. Smith said south-west and western Queensland is the prime breeding country for Australian plague locusts and spur-throated locusts. They need moisture in the soil for their eggs to survive, warm temperatures and plenty of green vegetation, which feeds the nymphs on the ground and gives adults the protein to fly and breed. Those conditions, she said, have been close to ideal since the start of 2025. What people are seeing now is the result of 18 months of good breeding, with populations large enough that they are starting to move. A mild winter and an unseasonably wet spring added to it, and widespread rain in the inland breeding areas will mean even larger numbers.
The public reports are climbing. The first batch arrived last Tuesday, about 10 days before the interview, and Smith said they picked up over the weekend. She suspects landholders are ringing because they have not seen anything like this for years, and because the department has been urging people to report. She has not had many reports of significant damage to pasture, but said that could change.
The greatest risk is to growers about to plant summer crops. Smith pointed to the Roma area, where sorghum is due to go in within days to a couple of weeks. Forage sorghum and similar crops are included, and she said landholders will need to be very vigilant with emerging crops.
The DPI is asking people to report sightings on 13 25 23 or at locustreports@dpi.qld.gov.au. Smith said the department does not have officers everywhere and relies on landholders for detail, which lets it map activity and work out what stage of the life cycle the locusts have reached. That stage matters most. Control is best done at the nymph stage, when the insects are on the ground, easy to treat and unable to get away. Landholders can treat their own pasture with registered products sold through rural merchants for these three species.
There is no control plan yet. Smith said the department has nothing in place going forward until it sees what is happening on the ground, and she expects a better idea by next week.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The critical thing is trying to control them when they're at the nymph stage on the ground. They're easy to treat, they can't get away.— Michelle Smith, Queensland locust commissioner
At the moment, we've got no control or plan going forward until we actually see what's happening on the ground.— Michelle Smith, Queensland locust commissioner
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