Australian Plague Locust

Australian plague locusts compress the locust cycle into explosive bursts. While desert locusts require months to complete generations, Australian plague locusts can produce three generations in a single summer—each multiplying the last. A single female produces around 150 eggs; with 90% survival to adulthood (in favorable conditions), each generation multiplies by roughly 70. Three generations means potential 350,000-fold multiplication in one season. No other locust matches this reproductive velocity.

The speed creates distinct management challenges. Desert locust swarms develop over months, providing time for tracking and response. Australian plague locust populations explode within weeks, outpacing management capacity. By the time surveys detect elevated numbers, multiple generations may have already produced swarms. The response window is measured in days, not weeks.

The species also demonstrates how Australian ecology creates unique locust dynamics. Irregular rainfall produces boom-bust cycles in vegetation; locusts track these pulses, breeding explosively during good seasons and crashing during droughts. The unpredictability means locusts appear sporadically but devastatingly—years of low populations punctuated by sudden plagues. The business parallel reveals how reproduction rate determines competitive dynamics. Fast-breeding competitors can overwhelm slow-breeding ones even from small initial positions. Startups with rapid iteration cycles can outpace established companies with longer development timelines. The Australian plague locust succeeds not through individual superiority but through generational velocity that compounds advantages faster than competitors can respond.