So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. Joel 2:25
Folks in the U.S. have called cicadas “locusts” for a long time. The two really aren’t the same thing.
Pictured above is a cicada which emerged from the ground. The adult, female form of this critter lays eggs usually in grooves in tree branches. The egg looks like a piece of rice. When the cicada hatches out of the egg, it nourishes on sap from the tree and looks sort of like a termite. Then it goes into the ground and feeds on roots of grass and trees. It remains active as it tunnels about and feeds. Depending on which species, the cicada may stay underground for up to seventeen years.
When they emerge, cicadas are in the form of nymphs. After this, they shed this casing, called an exoskeleton. (It is pictured at the right of the cicada). Next their adult skin grows solid and their wings stretch and fill with fluid. Then they are able to fly.
You’ve probably heard the male cicadas chirping and singing during the summer months as they attract females. Most of their adult life is spent in trees. Once they mate, their life cycle continues.
When I get a good picture, I may write about the true locust one of these days. I’m not positive which were being referred to concerning the above Scripture, as both can be destructive to vegetation if occurring in great numbers. Whichever one is being described, it is good to know the Lord has the ability, and is willing, to restore whatever has been destroyed in the past by the enemy. I’m counting on it.
If you’re not sure how to be restored and made right with God, please see Got God? in the above toolbar.
Hope you have a great day.