Eggs are usually laid in dry soil and during the summer months will hatch approximately 10 days after 15–25 millimetres (0.6–1.0 in) of rain has fallen.

Incipient outbreaks generally arise following the end of droughts and are characterised by the dramatic increase in the density of the solitary phase adult population over wide areas of the Karoo.

Swarming populations can then perpetuate themselves for a number of years, requiring an intense control effort, before gradually dying out during another drought cycle.

"Hopper band outbreaks are frequent in the Karoo and are controlled by farmers with insecticide spray operations: usually deltamethrin with motorised mistblowers set for ultra-low volume application (subsidised by the government).

Because of the environmental sensitivity of the Karoo biome and concerns about toxicity to grazing sheep, a biological pesticide product called 'Green Muscle', based on the entomopathogenic fungus (Metarhizium acridum), was tested by the LUBILOSA Programme in collaboration with the South African Plant Protection Institute: using novel application technique to compensate for the slow speed of kill.