The insects that cause a sickening noise and eat up crops have flooded the country.
Desert locusts have been sighted by residents in many parts of the Sultanate such as Hamriya, Wadi Kabir, Muttrah, Al Bustan, Muscat Expressway, Bausher and Al Sharqiya region. These insects are bad news, due to their tendency to eat up all crops and be extremely noisy.
According to the United Nation’s Environment Programme, this has been one of the worst desert locusts swarms outbreaks in decades. The last major locust swarm was reported in 2014.
The Ministry of Agriculture and fisheries however was expecting the swarms and warned citizens, livestock breeders and beekeepers last week about the beginning of spray operations to control desert locusts in areas where it is widespread. A total of 286 litres of pesticides were used in the operations and the ministry has also been holding meetings with the Locusts Control Unit to discuss the situation.
Nonetheless, the UN has stated that the use of pesticides will risk food security and human health through impacting the environment and other critical ecosystems key to food security such as bees and other insects (which pollinate up to 70% of our food).
Click the link below to see a video of the desert locusts taken by a resident yesterday.
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