Bug FAQTree Locust
Anacridium moestum · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae
Source: Wikipedia
The tree locust grows to about 5 to 9 cm long and has a slender, mottled reddish-brown or grey body with green-speckled wing covers.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults have a mottled reddish-brown or grey body, green-speckled forewings, pale blue hind wings with a black band, purplish hind tibiae, and vertically striped eyes and face; nymphs are yellowish-green.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
They reach a length of 50 to 90 mm (2.0 to 3.5 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Tree locusts may occasionally damage crops and fruit trees, but they rarely form large swarms.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found on trees or shrubs in grassland areas that contain acacias.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They feed on the leaves of acacia, Zizyphus, Capparis aphelia and gum trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native and widespread across southern and south-tropical Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
,_Terekeka,_Sud%C3%A1n_del_Sur,_2024-01-29,_DD_218.jpg){kind=link}
Questions people ask
Where does the tree locust live?
It lives on trees or shrubs in grasslands with acacias, mainly in southern and south-tropical Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
How big does a tree locust get?
Adults grow to about 5 to 9 cm (2.0 to 3.5 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Can tree locusts damage my garden or orchard?
Yes, they can occasionally damage crops and fruit trees when they appear in swarms.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Acrididae)
Differential GrasshopperMelanoplus differentialisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Two-striped GrasshopperMelanoplus bivittatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Carolina GrasshopperDissosteira carolinaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Field GrasshopperChorthippus brunneus
Egyptian Bird GrasshopperAnacridium aegyptium
Gray Bird GrasshopperSchistocerca nitensDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacridium_moestum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.