What Are Locusts: Everything You Need To Know About The Locust Plague In India
Reports have revealed that the species of locust attacking crops in India are desert locusts
While our nation is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent catastrophe caused by Amphan Cyclone in the East, and now there's a new menace brewing.
The states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh are being troubled by locust swarms that have originated from swarms matured in Iran and Pakistan¡¯s Balochistan.
Reuters
What are locusts?
Locusts are insects originating from the family of grasshoppers. They¡¯re essentially known to be solitary creatures and mind their own business. While they¡¯re normally not dangerous, in certain climatic and environmental conditions they experience rise in serotonin levels and start breeding in exceeding numbers forming large swarms.
In normal conditions locusts are innocuous, however, they soon turn nomadic and migrate in huge numbers.
What is a locust plague?
When this population rises, they become rather uncontrollable. With a denser population, they together attack crops and destroy them completely.
The adults are powerful fliers and they can travel great distances, consuming most of the green vegetation wherever the swarm settles.
Reuters
According to Wikipedia, Locusts have formed plagues since prehistory. The ancient Egyptians carved them on their tombs and the insects are mentioned in the Iliad, the Bible and the Quran.
Locust swarms have devastated crops and been a contributory cause of famines and human migrations.
More recently, changes in agricultural practices and better surveillance of locations where swarms tend to originate, have meant that control measures can be used at an early stage. The traditional means of control are based on the use of insecticides from the ground or the air, but other methods using biological control are proving effective.
Locust attack in India
In India, first of such locust swarming cases were spotted in Dausa district of Rajasthan on May 20, and in a matter of 5 days, this has spread across 200 kilometres till Ajmer. They have now spread to states in Uttar Pradesh too. Reports have revealed that the species of locust attacking crops in India are desert locusts, that are known to be the most harmful of the lot.
In Rajasthan, 16 districts are affected, in UP 17 and Madhya Pradesh has reported one of the worst attacks in 27 years. The swarms are expected to enter Delhi through Rajasthan-Haryana border. The central government has set up teams with state agricultural development and making use of chemical sprays to control them from entering the city.
Reuters
Locusts, by destroying ready crops, can truly devastate the already difficult lives of farmers in India and impact the food security of our nation.
According to Food and Agricultural Organisation -- who has also issued the warning -- one square kilometre swarm of locusts with an average population of 40 million can eat the food of as much as 35,000 people in a day.
