Locusts spotted at Rayadurg in Anantapur, triggers fear among farmers

The desert locusts that is trembling the western states in India destroying crop fields in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra had said to fly into India over East Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan. In the meanwhile, a locust group has been witnessed in Anantapur district. Huge grasshoppers fell on a tree in front of a house in Rayadurg in Anantapur. This has caused concern among locals however, what type of locusts are they are remained to be identified.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Locusts are the oldest migratory pests in the world, which are different from grasshoppers and can form swarms and can migrate over large distances. It is said that the most dangerous and devastating species is Desert Locust. They reproduce fast - 20 folds within three months. The recent locust outbreak along the India-Pakistan border may have been driven by the longer-than-usual monsoon across the region, and frequent cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

Locusts are expected to fly up to 150km daily and one square km swarm can eat as much food as 35,000 people in terms of weight in a single day.