Locusts: The 8th Plague

In a genetics laboratory outside Prairie, Idaho, Gary Wolf and Russ Snow create a completely new species of locust designed to eat crops' pest insects. They release the locusts into the main crop dome and use a pheromone lure to draw them back into the holding pen. A vent jams during the operation, foreshadowing the trouble to come.

The jam prevents proper containment and a Silogen worker is sent into the tunnel to fix the vent. The worker is overwhelmed by the swarm and dies within seconds, and the locusts escape through the open vent. The outbreak begins as the insects spread from the facility into the surrounding fields.

Colt Dunton is developing a new kind of organic pesticide and introduces it to his friends Hank Odem and Agatha. Colt leaves the farm to check the product, initiating the chain of events that will bring the outbreak to their doorstep. The rural community soon realizes the danger behind the growing swarm.

On Hank's farm, the bull carcass is found nearly eaten, signaling something is feeding on livestock. Agatha hears something in the corn and discovers the remains of her son, Mike. The unease deepens as the locusts begin their devastating attack on the farmland.

Hank goes to inspect his combine, which is suddenly covered in locusts. The insects swarm him and he is killed within moments. Nearby, Agatha flees, only to be attacked and killed by the advancing swarm.

Agatha's death underscores that the locusts have crossed from fields into inhabited areas. Colt arrives at the scene to assess the outbreak and teams up with Vicky to investigate further. They begin to see multiple farm animals dying and find a locust embedded in a cow during their examination.

A family at a picnic in Prairie is attacked by the locust swarm; the boy survives and is taken to a hospital by a State Trooper. The hospital transfer indicates the scale of the outbreak has reached civilians. Colt and Vicky learn of the outbreak and monitor the spread.

Colt, Vicky, USDA Agent Greg Ballard, and a team of exterminators locate the locust nest and spray pesticides in an effort to kill the larvae and adult locusts. The spray irritates the swarm, causing them to attack the group. Only Colt, Vicky, and Greg survive the encounter.

At USDA headquarters, Greg Ballard decides that the only option might be to spray UD-66, the most dangerous pesticide. Vicky warns that such a chemical would prevent plants from regrowing for up to ten years. Colt argues against the plan, urging alternative measures.

A large swarm overruns an amusement park off the major highway, leaving visitors to be attacked and killed by the locusts. The panic and destruction highlight the threat spreading through the town. Emergency responders attempt to secure the area as the insects overwhelm the grounds.

Back at the laboratory, Colt studies larvae from the nest and tests live locusts to understand their behavior. He discovers that chemical pesticides attract the locusts rather than deter them, complicating control efforts. Vicky and Colt realize that conventional pesticides may worsen the problem.

Greg organizes a large spray using UD-45, gathering livestock in a field to draw the swarm. A helicopter is dispatched to spray the chemical, but the swarm attacks and destroys the aircraft. The attempt to control the outbreak with UD-45 fails catastrophically.

Colt takes to the skies in a plane to deploy his own organic pesticide over Prairie. The spray kills the local swarm instantly, providing a temporary reprieve. Shocking casualty occurs as Gary Wolf is killed by the locusts during the attack.

Two larger swarms appear over Prairie, prompting desperate measures. Vicky's father Russ uses a pheromone lure to coax the locusts into a crop dome. The lure succeeds, drawing the swarm into containment.

Russ enters the dome and programs it to self-destruct, sacrificing himself to end the infestation inside. The crop dome explodes, killing the locusts trapped inside. A final truck with live specimens is discovered heading toward another crop dome, ensuring the danger persists.