An analysis of the variation of fore-, mid- and hindgut contents in third- to sixth-instar nymphs of the African grasshopper, Zonocerus variegatus, freshly caught every hour in the field, and also left without food for 1, 6 and 12 hr, showed that gut motility and the movement of ingesta through the gut was maximal at 08.00–10.00, 13.00–14.00 and 16.00 hr. Movement of ingesta was very slow at night. A diurnal rhythm therefore governs gut emptying. Nymphs, confined in jars with leaf discs, fed from 07.00 to 19.00 hr over the temperature range 17–34°C. Most food was eaten after 13.00 hr when it is warmer. Field insects feed during the night as well. Midgut α- and β-glucosidase activity was detected at all times of testing (06.00, 12.00, 19.00 and 24.00 hr), but the levels of activity were lowest at 12.00 and 19.00 hr.