April 19th, 2010
11:19 AM ET

Answer to locust swarms? Town puts them on pizza

Swarms of locusts have left towns trying to find creative ways to get rid of them.

As locusts swarm across Australia, folks are finding a way to get back at the insects that devour crops – eat ‘em!

One café in Mildura, northern Victoria state, is offering locusts as a crunchy topping for pizza, CNN affiliate ABC news reports.

The idea for the dish came from the mayor of the town of 60,000, Glen Milne, according to ABC. The politician rounded up locusts in a garbage bag in the town’s center.

"You can't stop finding them when they get killed on your car, but it's another story when you get out on the oval and try to catch them," he told ABC.

Locusts as lunch seems appropriate for the town whose Web site touts it as “the center of Victoria’s Food Bowl.”

“Most of Australia's dried fruit, grapes, citrus, almonds, pistachios, olives, carrots, and asparagus are grown in the Mildura region,” the Web site says.

Would locusts be a good addition to that list of crops?

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations reports that dried locusts are about 62 percent protein and can be prepared in stir fry, roasted or boiled. It even offers a few recipes, pizza not among them.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry says heavy rainfall has created ideal conditions for locust breeding and swarms are expected to worsen over broad areas of the country.

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Filed under: Australia • World
soundoff (90 Responses)
  1. Khaos

    @BallersCove and J Kirche: These type of events have been occurring pretty much non-stop throughout the world since the beginning of time. Pick up a paper once in a while for crying out loud – LOL! End of times? How about...end of last week?

    April 19, 2010 at 4:15 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Ashley

    Nasty! I don't think I could just eat a bug.... gross. I bet they are chewy and slimy in your mouth.

    /puke

    April 19, 2010 at 4:17 pm | Report abuse |
  3. JOhn

    I don't think catching a couple thousand locusts for pizzas is gonna put a dent in their billion population

    April 19, 2010 at 4:19 pm | Report abuse |
  4. sonny CA.

    Oh Well, Can't get rid of them – Eat them. We don't need anymore competition.

    April 19, 2010 at 4:26 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Susanne

    OMG! I would go catatonic if I had to walk through a swarm of those gigantic bugs! Ewwwww!!!! I would NOT be able to go outside. HORRIBLE beyond words!!!

    April 19, 2010 at 4:28 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Dixie Hall

    Hey...this reminds me of that old time Egyptian plague...and you know how they got rid of them then, huh? Wonder if there is any correlation?

    April 19, 2010 at 4:47 pm | Report abuse |
  7. yo momma

    well i think that actually doesnt sound too bad, ive heard these insects are quite healthy.

    April 19, 2010 at 4:53 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Pamela S.

    You guys may not want to read this, but there are a lot of bugs in the ordinary foods we eat. The highest quantities are in peanut butter, ketchup, and chocolate. Any kid whose been to the bug fair at a Natural History museum will tell you that.

    April 19, 2010 at 4:55 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Marian Paroo

    Locusts are a delicacy in Yemen.

    April 19, 2010 at 5:37 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Diane

    I've heard they taste like chicken.
    Oh well, when life gives you locusts, make locusts pizza!

    April 19, 2010 at 5:48 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Kaukab Jafry

    Locusts as a pizza topping....thats just disgusting!!

    April 19, 2010 at 6:26 pm | Report abuse |
  12. elo

    too many people on this earth, eat them too!

    April 19, 2010 at 7:14 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Aydot

    Very good delicacy, just try it once believe me, you will request for more. Read mark 1:6

    April 20, 2010 at 7:02 am | Report abuse |
  14. ezekiel

    Brilliant advice. Indeed locusts are a delicacy. rich in protein. so eat them.

    April 20, 2010 at 7:26 am | Report abuse |
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