MILLIONS of insects are forced to march across great swathes of western North America each year. They are driven not just by terrible hunger but also by the merciless cannibal jaws of their comrades.
Unfortunately for Mormon crickets, this is not an invertebrate horror movie, it is real life. When they march together, they can move up to 2 kilometres a day, driven by the need for food and salt. The insect army can cause serious crop damage, but unlike locusts they don’t devour all the plants in their path.
Curious as to whether nutritional requirements could explain this behaviour,…
