LOCUST numbers across South Australia this spring are expected to be down on last year's plague conditions, Biosecurity SA says.
Incident controller Michael McManus said there were no major fly-ins that characterised last year's plague and the extent of egg laying was also less.
"We're currently surveying the main areas out in the field where hatchings are expected to occur this spring to assess likely locust banding areas," Mr McManus said.
"It is likely some landholder control will be necessary in localised regions."
Mr McManus said one isolated hatching report had been confirmed west of Hawker in the southern Flinders Ranges.
But he said the peak times for hatchings was not expected until later this month through to early next month.
"What we do know at present is that hatchings will probably occur in those northern pastoral areas where locusts were prevalent in spring 2010, and other districts where they persisted over summer and autumn," Mr McManus said.
"However, again I stress that locust populations will be on a much smaller scale to numbers experienced in spring 2010."
