Every now and then great swarms of grasshoppers have appeared in certain places and devastated the land. They are mentioned in the Bible among the seven plagues of Egypt. But every year, in most parts of the world, they do thousands of dollars worth of damage to crops.

There are many varieties of grasshoppers but they look very much alike. They all have strong jaws, three pairs of legs, and usually have two pairs of wings. The first pair of wings is leathery and straight, while the second pair is membranous and folds underneath the first pair. The hind pair of legs, which are used for jumping, are usually long and well developed.