Question

palm wine copiously, when ogbuefi ezeudu came in. ezeudu was the oldest man in this quarter of umuofia. he had been a great and fearless warrior in his time, and was now accorded great respect in all the clan. he refused to join in the meal, and asked okonkwo to have a word with him outside. and so they walked out together, the old man supporting himself with his stick. when they were out of earshot, he said to okonkwo:
\that boy calls you father. do not bear a hand in his death.\ okonkwo was surprised, and was about to say something when the old man continued:
\yes, umuofia has decided to kill him. the oracle of the hills and the caves has pronounced it. they will take him outside umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there. but i want you to have nothing to do with it. he calls you his father.\
the next day a group of elders from all the nine villages of umuofia came to okonkwo’s house early in the morning, and before they began to speak in low tones nwoye and ikemefuna were sent out. they did not stay very long, but when they went away okonkwo sat still for a very long time supporting his chin in his palms.

1. a very dry, dusty wind
2. the living quarters of the head of the household

from chinua achebe, things fall apart. copyright 1959 by chinua achebe
why do the elders discourage people from catching locusts right away?
the locusts are easier to spot after the sun sets.
the locusts are easier to catch at night.
the oracle of the hills and the caves forbids it.
the locusts need time to mature and become more abundant.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context from "Things Fall Apart". The elders discourage catching locusts immediately because locusts need time to mature and multiply, making them more abundant for collection later. The other options: spotting after sunset or catching at night aren't supported, and the Oracle's decree here is about a different matter (the boy's death), not locusts.

Answer:

The locusts need time to mature and become more abundant.