This study investigated the effects of polarized and spectral light interactions on locust polarotaxic behavior and elucidated the regulatory mechanisms of polarized and spectral lights. Locust visual response effect was investigated using a combined light source system comprising linear detection polarization violet light with various spectrum lights and a response device to explore the interaction mechanism of polarized and spectral lights on locust visual sensitivity characteristics and the specific sensitivity of locust phototaxis and polartaxis. Results indicated that the polarized vector sensitivity of locusts was related to combined light intensity, showing high visual response sensitivity at 0° and 180° under 1000 lx, whereas under rated illumination (150 mW/cm²), the coupled spectrum attributes induced changes in the locusts’ sensitive vectors. UV, violet, and blue lights enhanced the sensitivity at 90° and 270°, and green and orange lights did so at 0° and 180°. Moreover, UV and violet lights enhanced the aggregation and trend sensitivity at 210° and 30°, blue, green and orange lights induced high sensitivity at 0° and 180°. Under increasing illumination, the enhanced effect of light intensity on aggregation sensitivity under blue, green, and orange spectra and on trend sensitivity under orange spectra at 90° and 270° was highly pronounced because of the interaction between heterogeneous spectrum illumination and linear detection polarization vector illumination. Meanwhile, the spectral attribute determined the locust visual response effect, which was affected by the linear detection polarization vector. When illumination increased to rated illumination, coupled light intensity induced a specific vector sensitivity related to optical distance, showing the strongest response sensitivity to 180° under orange spectra and the strongest aggregation and trend sensitivity to 210° under violet spectra due to the interplay of polarization degree, coupling light intensity, and specific vision sensitivity caused by partially polarized light. Then, the locust visual response effect was improved by utilizing the enhancement effect of polarized violet light coupled with violet light at a close range and the inductive effect of polarized violet light coupled with orange light at a long distance, which provides theoretical support for understanding locust polarotactic orientation mechanisms, facilitating the development of polarization-induced light sources for attracting locusts.

New approaches are required to prevent the plagues of locusts that threaten crop security in many areas of the world. One such approach is to exploit locusts’ polarotactic response effect, enabling their aggregation and effective removal from agricultural sites. The current study used linearly partially polarized light with different polarization vectors and a polarotactic response device to test locusts’ polarotactic response effect. Results showed that under partially polarized light with linear polarization vectors in the range of 0°-360°, locusts exhibited a sinusoidal-cosine tuning response in specific periods depending on the intensity of the polarization spectrum, and differences in the intensity of the polarization spectrum led to changes in the sensitivity of polarotactic vision at different distances. As the intensity of the illumination increased, the effects of polarized violet, blue, and orange spectra were strongest at far, medium, and close distances, respectively. At the maximum illumination intensity, the differences in the specific sensitivity vector modes at different vision distances were due to variations in the sensitivity of the visual response to the e-vector induced by the optical distance polarization effect of the heterogeneous spectrum. The polarotactic responses were stronger under violet spectrum at 330° and blue spectrum at 0° (360°), while the polarotactic response and aggregation sensitivity were stronger at 240° and the visual trend was sensitive to 180° under orange spectrum. Intriguingly, locusts had different sensitivity thresholds to the intensity of the polarization spectrum, where the polarotactic responses were equal for polarized violet light at a vector of 330° and light energy from various spectral sources. Therefore, combined stimulation with illumination by polarized violet and orange spectra can enhance locusts’ polarotactic response effect and regulate the sensitivity of locusts’ polarization vision, which provides theoretical support for understanding locusts’ polarotactic orientation mechanisms, thereby facilitating the development of polarization-induced light sources for attracting locusts.