If you’ve spotted some unexpected visitors with wings and long legs recently, you might have caught a glimpse of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), a rare but historically recorded visitor to the Maltese Islands.

While desert locust sightings in Malta are far from common, they are not unheard of. Arnold Sciberras (better known as ‘The Exterminator’) has shared that the last significant occurrences date back to 1988, 1998, and 2004, but 2025 has marked one of the most notable influxes in recent memory, with larger swarms than usual being spotted across the islands.

These surprise appearances are typically driven by specific weather patterns, especially strong southerly winds that can carry the locusts across the Mediterranean from their native breeding grounds in North Africa. It’s a fascinating, albeit slightly unsettling, reminder of how connected our ecosystems really are.

Despite the fact that S. gregaria is infamous for its role in devastating crops across parts of Africa and Asia, locals can breathe a sigh of relief – the species has caused no agricultural damage in Malta to date. So while the sight of these exotic insects may raise a few eyebrows (and phones for photos), there’s no need for panic.

Still, if you're out and about and happen to spot a group of these airborne travellers, you’re witnessing a very rare natural event – a desert dweller brought to our shores by the wind.

Have you ever seen one?