LOCUST SWARMS NOW ATTACKING FOUR CONTINENTS

As readers know, my blog has periodically featured updates about the spreading locust swarms that are threatening the food supplies of steadily-more nations this year. The global locust plague has now gotten much worse. At the time of my previous post on this topic, the locust swarms were infesting two continents; Africa and Asia. At least nine African nations were being harmed by these locust plagues, and the locust swarms had spread into Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India in Asia. The locust plagues are now affecting four continents, and they show no sign of letting up in their march to infest more nations.

The first link mentions that destructive locust swarms are now affecting three continents: Africa, Asia, and South America. Argentina was named as a nation hit by the locust swarms and Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil were listed as being threatened by them. The second link also reports the locust swarms have spread deeper into Asia. It relates that locust swarms are now affecting the southernmost provinces of China and that China thinks they entered their nation from Laos. The second link also shows that the Chinese are trying to stop the locusts from spreading deeper into China by using large pesticide-spraying drones. I think this is a very ingenious idea, and other nations should adopt the same strategy. Spraying pesticides into the middle of migrating swarms via aerial drones should kill many of them in mid-flight. However, while this technique will limit the spreading locusts, it is unlikely to stop them. There are simply too many of them. the third link shows how numerous the locusts have become in southern China, and it also offers a useful map of the part of China now invaded by the locust swarms.

The fourth continent to be invaded by the expanding locust plague is Europe. The large Italian island of Sardinia has been hit by large locust swarms (fourth link), and from that island, the locust swarms could easily spread to mainland Italy, France, and Spain. The locust plague in Sardinia is described as the worst infestation in 70 years! As a reminder of how bad Pakistan and India have been hit by the locust swarms, please check the photos and videos in the fifth link.

With damaging locust swarms in Pakistan, India, and China, it is an obvious major threat to those nations’ food supplies. If the locusts did spread into China from Laos, it also means the locusts will almost surely spread throughout Southeast Asia as well. This entire region of Asia is the most heavily-populated region of the planet. If this region loses vital crops due to locust plagues, there will be severe consequences for all the nations in the region.