Worst Locust attack in decades devastates Indian Crops amid Covid-19 pandemic.
parts of India Mainly Urban Areas of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha region
of Maharashtra, are suffering from
the worst locust attack in 27 years.
After invading neighboring Pakistan, swarms
of locusts descended on northern and central India Starting around May 24,
2020.
The first swarms were sighted along the India-Pakistan border on April 11, months ahead of the usual time of arrival.
Pesticides are being used
to try and control the insects, but there are fears the problem could worsen in
June as locust Populations grow because of heavy rain and cyclones.
Desert Locust:
It is a species of
swarming short-horned grasshopper belonging to the Acrididae family. An international
trans-boundary pest, it threatens agriculture production and live hoods across Africa,
the middle east, and south and Southwestern Asia.
Size of Male
|
60 to 75 mm.
|
Size of female
|
70 to 90 mm.
|
Weight
|
2 grams
|
Diet
|
Plants, eats
its own weight each day. A 1 Square KM Swarm eats the same amount as 35,000
people.
|
Flight Speed
|
16 to 19 km/hr.
Can cover up to 200 km in a day.
|
Life span
|
Variable,
Generally 3 to 4 months.
|
Natural Enemies
|
Predatory wasps
and flies, parasitoid wasps, predatory beetle larvae, birds and reptiles.
|
STRENGTH IN NUMBER:
-
40 to 80
Million locusts are estimated in a swarm that spreads over 1 square Kilometre.
-
These
many locusts can ravage crops Equivalent to the feeding need of 35,000 people
in the day.
-
Their
life span is between 3-5 months. They become hoppers after a month and can
start laying eggs when they 60- 70 days old.
LOCUST ATTACK:
Locusts are Group of Short-Horned
grasshoppers that multiply in numbers as they migrate long distance in destructive
Swarm (up to 150 km in one day).
The swarm devour Leaves,
Flowers, Fruits, Seeds, Bark and growing points, and destroy plants by their
sheer weight as they descend on them in massive Numbers.
Four Species of Locusts
are found in India:
1.Desert Locust
2.Migratory Locust
3.Bombay Locust
4.Tree Locust.
The desert Locust is regarded
as the most destructive pest in India as well as Internationally.
Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO)
of the United Nations has Currently Identified three hotspots of threatening
locust activity, where the situation has been called “Extremely alarming”.
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