Locust Menace In East Africa: Scientists Suggest Either Eating Them Or Driving Them To Cannibalism

Locusts have reportedly descended on East Africa, devouring crops, trees, and pastures as they move in swarms that look like storm clouds.

Locusts have been around for a long time, and are mostly associated with the deserts of Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa region.

Now, as the second wave of locusts threatens to invade East Africa, scientists are looking for some environmentally-friendly ways to get rid of them.

And they suggest eating them, poising them or driving them to cannibalism with a peculiar scent.

Locusts are usually controlled by spraying pesticides but the chemicals can damage other insects and the environment.

So scientists at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) are experimenting with biopesticides and the use of locusts as human and animal food as they look for environmentally-friendly extermination methods.

ICIPE researchers were part of a group that discovered an isolate from a fungus, Metharizium acridum, could kill locusts without harming other creatures. The isolate is now being used across East Africa.