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A massive swarm of locusts filled the sky in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan, Russia, on Sunday, alarming locals who feared for nearby towns. Dagestan’s ministry of agriculture and food reported that they have initiated active pest control measures against the locusts.
Dagestan’s ministry of agriculture and food has reported that active pest control measures are underway, having already addressed several large swarms. Chemical treatment is restricted in nature conservation areas, complicating efforts as the locusts migrate from those regions into treatable zones.
Dagestan’s ministry of agriculture and food has initiated active pest control measures in response to the locust swarms, stating that treatment will be deployed as soon as the pests move into areas where chemical applications are permitted. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that up to 20 million people and 25 million hectares of cultivated land in the region are at risk from locust infestations.
What remains unclear — It is not known how many towns are at risk from the advancing swarm of locusts in Dagestan.
Locust swarm fills sky in Dagestan as residents seek shelter in vehicles
People took cover in their cars as a huge swarm of locusts darkened the sky in Russia.
The arrival of millions of locusts turned a peaceful Sunday into an apocalyptic scene in the southwestern corner of the country.
The grasshoppers swept across a field in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan on Sunday, with the sky almost blocked out as they flew over.
Locals were left fearing they might be heading towards nearby towns in the North Caucasus region.
People in Dagestan witnessed a biblical scene as millions of locusts filled up the sky (Picture: Jam Press)
One local filming the swarm says: ‘Where are they heading? What on earth is this? Thank goodness they’re not heading towards the town!
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‘They are going to eat us alive!’
Despite being a frightening sight, the locusts are not directly harmful to humans, although they can inflict devastation on vital crops, making them one of the world’s most harmful agricultural pests.
Dagestan’s ministry of agriculture and food said today that it has taken active pest control measures.
Locusts can munch tens of thousands of hectares of vegetation as they travel in the Caucasus and Central Asia (Picture: Jam Press)
Several large swarms had already been dealt with, it said.
It said: ‘The situation is complicated by the fact that migratory locust swarms travel from nature conservation areas and reserves, where chemical treatment is strictly prohibited by law.
‘However, as soon as the pests move into areas where treatment is permitted, all available equipment is deployed.’
Locusts and grasshoppers pose a serious threat to food security and livelihoods in the Caucasus and Central Asia as they can destroy crops that end up on their way.
The animals can travel up to 93 miles per day.
The biblical locust swarms have led to the use of drones in the fight against the pests.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan recently cooperated on the use of unmanned aerial systems for locust management, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said.
Up to 20 million people and 25 million hectares of cultivated land are at risk from locusts in the region, the UN said.
Three species plague the Caucasus, Russian Federation and Central Asia – Italian (Calliptamus italicus), Moroccan (Dociostaurus maroccanus) and Asian Migratory (Locusta migratoria) Locusts.
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