 (IRIN) - The Yemeni government is concerned that new swarms of locusts in the south of the country, and the billions of offspring they are likely to have, will have a devastating effect on crop harvests. According to the Desert Locusts Control Centre (DLCC) at the Ministry of Agriculture, over the past few days mature desert locusts have descended over 30 sq km in Thamoud, a desert area in the southern province of Hadhramout.
| Darn. Shoot. Tusk, tusk. Real shame. |
With a density of 30 locusts per square metre, there would be about 900 million locusts in these swarms. However, specialists say they pose no immediate threat to the area, but that, with each locust carrying between 300 and 500 eggs, the danger lies in the next generation. "We have entered into a critical stage, and the situation seems dangerous as the new locusts are now laying eggs that will hatch in three weeks," Abdu Farei al-Rumeih, General Director of the DLCC, told IRIN on Wednesday. "The new generation will destroy grazing fields and deprive beekeepers and herdsmen from what seems a good harvest," he added.
Al-Rumaih said nine teams consisting of 27 experts are monitoring the new swarms. The teams have yet to identify the direction from which the new swarms came.
But he is concerned about other swarms that have not been discovered. |