The Reason Behind The Desert Locust Outbreak In 2020

Desert Locust Outbreak in 2020

In the year 2020, the world witnessed distress in big time. We have had an economic slowdown, coronavirus, cyclones, and now desert locust.  

Locusts plagues have existed even in ancient times. Also, mentioned about these insects in religious and ancient scriptures.

In recent times the year 2019, an outbreak of desert locusts exponentially increased in eastern Africa, Arabian Peninsula, South Asia, and the South American region. 

Locust attack on crops on a large scale can create a scarcity of food, which is a danger for the food supply across the region. 

What is locust? 

Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers from the Acrididae family. There are many types of locusts around in different parts of the world. Only in India, there are four species of locusts found. They are Desert locust, Migratory locust, Bombay locust, and Tree locust. 

Out of all these four, desert locust is the most dangerous one. Desert locust has the ability of swarms to fly across long distances.

How did they suddenly appear? 

One of the main reasons for the desert locust outbreak is climate change such as tropical cyclones.   

From the year 2018 to 2020, there were series of cyclones passed over the desert area somewhere near the empty quarter in the Arabian Peninsula.

Due to the 2018 cyclone in the Arabian sea, lakes formed between dunes and deserts filled with water the first time in 20 years. After a few months, there was another cyclone in this region. And again, in the year 2019 tropical cyclones kept coming in the Arabian sea region. The frequency of tropical cyclones never been the same for decades. These cyclones bring rainfall in deserts and create water pockets. This weather perfect for locust breeding.

Locust  transformation from solitary to Gregarious phases

Usually, desert locusts are living alone in the deserts. This period of the locust called the Solitary phase. In this phase their color greenish in early instars and when they grow as an adult, color changes to yellow or pale brown.

But when the weather starts changing in this dry area with rain and vegetation, it triggers their hormones and locust start breeding. Also, they begin to transform both physically and mentally. Their body shrinks, the brain grows larger, and appetite increases. This phase of locust called a gregarious phase. 

In normal circumstances, it takes nearly a month for the non-flying hopper to become adults. But if the suitable weather conditions are available, their development goes on the fast track.

In the gregarious phase, thousands of non-flying black color hoppers move together as a group on the ground. Once they become adults, their color changes yellow with black spots, Gradually they develop wings from there it is difficult to stop them. 

They eat and breed rapidly and leaving the eggs in dead soil. Their numbers increase on the fast track and create a swarm. One swam merges with another and becomes a massive plague.     

Abilities and impacts

Locust swarms fly with the wind for long distances. They can fly up to 150 to a 200-kilometer long distance in 2,000 meters above the sea level. They destroy and finish the vegetation on their way and create food scares in a big way. A single swam contains more than 100 to 150 million insects per square kilometer. They can eat more than 30,000 to 35,000 people's food in a single day.

 Control measures 

Water-based pesticides sprayed by using the tractor. Also, spraying insecticide solutions from aircraft over the insects or the vegetation. There are some modem technologies also used to monitor their movements such as GPS, GIS tools, and Satellite images to get the data and prepare for the outbreak. These preventive measures can only reduce some impacts.

Locusts are edible insects. Even in ancient times, they have been eaten and are considered a delicacy in many countries. Grasshopper and locusts are good sources of protein and other nutrition. But, when the outbreak happens, in an emergency, insecticides used on a large scale to control them. Hence, these insects contain very toxic insecticides, it is not safe for human consumption. In some countries, they are used as chicken feed, and governments and authorities encouraging people to consider it as one of the alternatives to control these insects. 

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