Abnormally large locust egg-beds, some of them miles long, were laid during the 2010 autumn (our Spring) in New South Wales, southern Queensland, northern Victoria and southeast South Australia. Officials say these are hatching with minimal loss, because the wet, warm winter this year provided ideal conditions for the eggs’ survival.

There are now widespread fears that this spring’s swarms could be both enormous and hugely devastating.

The NSW Farmers Association has predicted the biggest locust plague for thirty years. It says the affected regions together are larger than Spain – about 300,000 square miles.

Ironically, the same weather conditions that prompted concerns over the size of the locust swarms have also produced the best crop growing conditions for years in some regions.” Some farmers are sitting on really excellent crops, the first decent yields for a long time and the big concern is those crops could now be wiped out,” said David Clarke, a farmer from Rylstone, central New South Wales.

It’s not been a good year for grain to date. We’ve had fire and brimstone, and now locusts. Stand by for the plague of boils.