Drones can be navigated to fly low enough to spray chemicals and do surveillance, without the need for larger planes with human pilots. Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. “Long ago traditional forecasts would help villages prepare for locust invasions. For example, when last year’s cyclones in the Indian Ocean made landfall, they may have created an attractive environment for locusts to swarm into the region from their nesting sites in the Middle East, he says. From Rajasthan, the swarm entered Uttar Pradesh -- which borders the capital New Delhi -- in the north, Madhya Pradesh in central India and Maharashtra and Gujarat in the west on Thursday, according to India's agriculture minister. Waves of desert locusts -- millions strong and stretching up to 7 kilometers (4 miles) long -- crossed into India's western state of Rajasthan from neighboring Pakistan in early May and swarms have since pushed into five different states in search of food. Farmers try to chase away swarms of desert locusts from a tree on their land by shaking branches, banging sticks together, and shouting, in Katitika village, Kenya, on January 24, 2020… Those who planted fodder crops or vegetables could chase the locusts away. They also take longer to kill the pests than conventional pesticides, which risks greater crop damage. Until such large-scale international solutions are possible, the people of Mathyakani are working hard to adopt and build post-locust resilience, says Ndavu. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife, and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday. A picture taken on February 25, 2020, near Isiolo town in Isiolo county, eastern Kenya, shows locust nymphs aggregated on the ground at a hatch site. Karwa added that 11 swarms initially entered the state and three followed the winds onwards toward Madhya Pradesh. “But this locust invasion is more than a challenge. When swarms affect several countries at once in very large numbers, it is known as a plague. Share. With a wide sweep of her right hand, Ndavu counts about 10 avocado, mango and paw paw trees that are losing their boughs after the infestation. Ndavu’s village of Mathyakani, which covers about 50 sq km (19 sq miles), is home to about 10,000 people. Another option is to use “biological pesticides”, based on the fungus Metarhizium acridum that infects and kills locusts. We started the control operations around 1 a.m. (Tuesday) along with the Locust Organization team," said B R Karwa, a deputy director of Rajasthan's Agriculture Department. Drawn to an emaciated avocado drooping from a drying mother tree, Esther Ndavu wonders aloud if it will ever mature into the fist-sized oval fruit that keeps city residents going. Like many others at her farm in Mathyakani village in central-eastern Kenya, this avocado tree has been attacked by desert locusts. The outbreak was fostered by a long dry spell followed by sudden high rainfall, said Torto. Peninah Nguli, a teacher from a village neighbouring Mathyakani, adds women have been particularly affected. close. Children were enlisted to scream at the pests to try to scare them away before the village was able to use pesticides. That drumming and screaming has left a lasting effect on her children. East Africa has not just suffered from the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, but also the worst locust plague in decades. They stayed home to help their parents battle the swarm that had landed on their farm. ERITREA. A further 25 million people will face acute food insecurity. Massive swarms of locusts are sweeping across South Asia, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. The locust swarm … This group is not as worse off after the locusts as farmers who had only grown maize, green grams and cowpeas, says Nguli. George Thomas. Remote weather alert stations within farms could also help farmers prepare for future locust invasions. Locust swarms usually happen when a prolonged drought is followed by heavy rains, says Muli. The gregarious desert locust is the world's most devastating migratory pest (Credit: Getty Images). Alternatives include the use of drones and electrified metal grids to control locust swarms. However, some researchers have questioned whether fungal deterrents could also harm other species of insect, such as termites. In this photo taken Tuesday, March 31, 2020, a swarm of desert locusts flies in Kipsing, near Oldonyiro, in Isiolo county, Kenya. Hatching occurs in NE Somalia. ‘Apocalyptic’ LOCUST plague swarms Africa as trillions of Biblical bugs risk causing mass famine Charlotte Edwards , Digital Technology and Science Reporter 3 Jul 2020, 12:32 A resident tries to fend off swarms of locusts from a mango tree in a residential area of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan on May 25, 2020. Swarms of locusts land and feed on shea trees, which are a big source of food and income for local farmers, earlier this month in Otuke, Uganda. At first adults used the tools immediately available to drum away the locusts as well as lighting fires and burning vehicle tires, says Ndavu. Swarms form when locusts’ numbers increase and they become crowded. One way this funding could be used to help farmers like Ndavu is equipping them with technology so that they can battle new locust infestations, says Moses Muli, a social and conservation expert who has worked with Action Aid, Kenya, for six years. While early tests of the grids have been successful, they may be better suited to smaller swarms. Rajasthan, which was the first to be impacted by the locusts, has been conducting daily operations since May 22. Fungus-based pesticides are thought to be harmful to a much narrower range of species than conventional pesticides, and so pose less risk to the environment and people. Kenya's efforts in tackling locusts have been focused in the north of the country, including flyovers by pesticide-spraying planes (Credit: Getty Images). In mid-February, Kenya’s government announced it was focusing its intervention measures in areas heavily infested with locusts in the north. The interventions included manual and aerial spraying of pesticides, followed by deployment of response teams to assess the damage caused by the locusts. That assessment would then help the government come up with a plan on how it would support livelihoods of Kenyans affected by the locust invasions.Â, Esther Ndavu inspects her crops. And spraying, though one of the more effective methods, comes with drawbacks: the substances used can be harmful to the environment and to human health. ... Indian scientists said that in a single day, a modest locust swarm can travel 200 kilometers and eat as much food as about 35,000 people. Given the scale of the current swarms, aerial control is the only effective means to reduce the locust numbers. But some of the key protection comes before the swarm arrives. The FAO said much of the locust movements were driven by the strong westerly winds in the wake of Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal, which slammed into India and Bangladesh on May 20. The outbreak is the worst in 70 years in Kenya and the worst in 25 years in Ethiopia, Somalia and India. “We also train them on how to take advantage of the irrigation project and establish kitchen gardens to guard them against future food shocks.”. A swarm can vary from one to several hundred square kilometers -- with each square kilometer containing up to 80 million adult locusts. Authorities are calling it the worst outbreak in decades as billions of desert locusts swarm across a large part of East Africa. At Ndavu’s 1.6 hectares (four acres) of land, the locust swarms … “The locusts are not likely to go away soon. JUST WATCHED Fight against devastating locust swarms hampered by Covid-19. Read about our approach to external linking. 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