How to Control the Locust Attack?
Pakistan and India are
currently under a locust attack. Various means are being adopted to combat the
swarms of locusts, which are a significant threat to crops and therefore the
economy. The attack in 2020, the worst plague of locusts in 70 years has
already affected East Africa; many locusts have now invaded Middle East
countries like Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia from the Horn of
Africa. People report biblical scenes as thick giant swarms of locusts to darken
the sky. The swarms are currently ravaging East Africa. In recent weeks, the
insects spread to South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania, after having devastated
crops throughout Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
In order to interrupt a
locust swarm apart, then, should we be watching reducing their cannibalistic
tendencies by providing alternative food sources? Probably not! Providing
sufficient food for therefore many voracious appetites, during a coordinated
manner, would be a near-impossible task. It may even fuel the progress of the
swarm.
Instead, our studies
demonstrate how susceptible locust swarms are to randomness. If we can increase
the randomness or “noise” a swarm experience, then we might be able to break it
apart. This idea could be harnessed as a swarm-management strategy, using
low-flying planes to make an atmospheric disturbance to disrupt locusts.
The huge size of
swarms, however, makes this method impractical, too. A typical locust swarm can
cover several hundred square kilometers. Locusts can fly up to 2 kilometers
within the air and have even been reported to travel over whole oceans. It can
comprise tens of many locusts, each eating their weight in food a day. However,
we hope that by conducting further research we'd find better ways to interrupt
up swarms using similar methods.
In the past, management strategies have typically focused on creating exclusion zones by burning tires
to make an exclusion zone, catching them in nets, or digging trenches. At best,
these local measures will prevent locusts from reaching a specific area but can
do little to halt the progress of the swarm.
Currently, the most
commonly used control is insecticide. Sprayed from land or aerial vehicles,
whole swarms are often targeted in relatively short periods of your time. However,
this has led to some environmental concerns.
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