Most destructive insect

The single most destructive insect is the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) from the dry and semi-arid regions of Africa, the Middle East and western Asia. Individuals are only 4.5–6 cm (1.8–2.4 in) long but can eat their own weight in food every day. Certain weather conditions induce unimaginable numbers to gather in huge swarms that devour almost all vegetation in their path. In a single day, a "small" swarm of about 50 million locusts can eat food that would sustain 500 people for a year.