FAO Warns; New Billions of second-generation locusts hatched

Locust invasion in Western Kenya. PHOTO | BMS

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warns East Africa nation over new generation locusts. The body said due to climate change the locusts invasion war could triple by May.


FAO claims that by June 2020,  swarms of locusts will multiply by five hundred times.  Due to incoming cyclones heading towards the East of Africa and Asia, locusts breeding ground will be favourable hence increasing the calamity.



" We are approaching long rains in East-Africa. We got the data from the international meteorological department in the  World Meteorological Organization which shows the cyclone movements, " said FAO Director-General Mr QU Dongyu.


The fight against desert locust could take a new twist if the second generation locusts begin to hit.


It is said a desert locust lifespan ranges from 3-5 Months.  They female locusts lay eggs on the soil. The number ranges from 25-50 eggs where 80% of eggs laid hatch for new generation locusts.



" While female locusts are laying eggs and have their abdomen poked into the soil they do not disturb and fly away as rapidly as normal. After laying, the pod is sealed with a frothy plug to protect the eggs from desiccation. Each female lays pods of about 25-50 eggs, sometimes laying only one pod per lifetime, " an official from Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA)  said.


The Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) covers Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti.


" The fight on the second generation locusts will be huge than what the countries are witnessing now, " the official added.