'Storm' Biblical grasshopper is real

In order to punish the Pharaohs for holding down the Jews, God sowed down 10 disasters in Egypt, including the terrible locust epidemic. Scientists think this story in the Bible may be true.

According to the Old Testament more than 3,000 years ago, the Jews after a time of flourishing development in Egypt were captured by slavery, hardship. In order to save them, and to fulfill their promise to their ancestors, God sent Moise, a Jew who was raised in the Egyptian palace, returning his people.

Along with the Jewish messengers, Moise offered the pharaoh to the Jews to leave Egypt, but the king insisted on not accepting it. After receiving enough terror from the 10 calamities that God descended, the new pharaoh let them go.The grasshopper " Storm " is one of the 10 disasters.

Epidemic locusts can cause hunger.(Artwork: Health & Life)

According to the Bible, God gave grasshoppers "to cover all areas of the country". This voracious insect has eaten away the agricultural products and pushed residents into a terrible hunger.

Scientific studies have proven, ancient Egyptian grasshopper disaster recorded in the Bible is valid. They believe that the millions of locust troops attacking Egypt that caused the cataclysm at that time could be due to the impact of volcanic eruptions Santonin (about 70 km from the Mediterranean coast of Egypt).

Around 1,600 BC, this mountain erupted violently, spraying a large amount of lava and ash covering an area of ​​up to 30 km ² . It is these environmental impacts that have made locusts, which live around the Red Sea, concentrated on Egypt. They move at terrifying speed because of the help of the desert wind.

It is a short beard grasshopper line (family Acrididae) capable of changing color and behavior when population density is large. Along with the extremely fast reproductive speed, there are 200 presentations per square meter of planted land, doubling the weight each day. They can really turn a bustling kingdom into a desert.

Grasshoppers have strange abilities

It is not understood why the locust species about 3-5 million years ago have passed from the Atlantic to Africa and flew to the Americas; while each animal weighs an average of 0.2-7 g. It means that the nutritional reserve on each grasshopper is not enough to help them make such a long journey.

Recent studies show that the muscular grasshopper is very developed so there is a jump of nearly 1 m. Herds of grasshoppers are capable of moving from several kilometers to over 100 kilometers per day, or 3,500 kilometers per month, which is equivalent to a level 12 storm.

Grasshopper eyes are also very special. In a second, they can see more images than humans. They respond very quickly to things moving around at close range and dodging before colliding. This helps grasshoppers have the ability to move in dense colonies.

The herd of grasshoppers with a density of up to 80 million heads / km ² can flatten whatever they encounter. Instinct to move along the grasshopper flock is related to the way they lay eggs.

In mating season, grasshoppers often focus on spawning mass on a narrow range and hatching simultaneously. Each nest contains up to 120 fruits. After only half a month, they will mature. The offspring had a habit of living and moving in groups. On the other hand, living a herd will help them keep their body temperature, a vital factor for insects.

Their way of moving is also very strange, just a single fly up is a herd of millions will move, creating a storm of grasshoppers. Heavy rain during the breeding season is also one of the reasons why they grow faster.

Poverty disaster

Moving at a speed of 100 km / day, millions of locusts have actually become "storms" devastating all the places they pass through. The consequences that they leave are poverty and disease. For thousands of years, "grasshopper storms" still haunt humans and still have no effective control.

In the 20th century, there were many locust pandemic such as 1926-1934, 1940-1948, 1986-1989 . They flooded into a land area of ​​30 million km2 in about 60 countries (20% of the land area on the ground). fine, clean all fields of corn, cassava and other food crops in the region.

Grasshoppers devastate more than 6 million hectares of farmland in northwestern Africa. It is estimated that, in just a few minutes, they ate enough food for more than 2,000 people in a day. They are present throughout Africa and are the main cause of famine in Sudan.

In Vietnam, many documents have recorded " storm grasshoppers " at the time of King Tu Duc (1838-1840) as a failed crop, people were hungry. Grasshoppers often cause pandemics in the Southeast provinces around June-July every year. Most recently, in September 2007, " enemy " grasshoppers attacked many areas of Nghe An, causing many difficulties for people in the region.

To prevent the grasshopper disaster, scientists have found every way, such as using artificial satellites to predict the direction of the "storm". However, predictions are sometimes inaccurate, because they change direction unpredictably. Moreover, the more this " storm " intensifies. In Africa, the most modern types of equipment have been mobilized to block " grasshopper storms ", but are not yet effective.

In 2004, people used aircraft to spray chemicals for nearly 11 million hectares of land, only to kill grasshoppers. This method is quite effective, but has not destroyed the grasshoppers, it has harmed the environment.

Recently, scientists have tested biological methods to control " grasshopper storms ". A fungus called Metarhizium anisopliae is used. They can kill grasshoppers but are harmless to other plants and animals. But all of these measures still limit the harm of " grasshopper storms " but never stop them.