Though desert locust swarms are invading parts of Maharashtra, entomologists feel that the effective measures initiated by the neighbouring State have reduced the threat level for Karnataka.
A.R.V. Kumar, retired entomologist from the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru, who attended a meeting convened by Karnataka government on Thursday to review the situation, told The Hindu that Maharashtra was more effective in tackling desert locust swarms than other States. “This is basically due to the effective insecticides used in time.”
According to him, such a measure has reduced the population size of desert locust swarms.
Apart from wind direction that is expected to change the course towards north-east, making these swarms to fly back, Karnataka has another advantage. “The desert locust live for a maximum duration of two-and-a-half months to five months. The present swarms have already completed three-and-a-half months of life cycle. Hence their knockdown effect will reduce,” Dr. Kumar points out.
These insects, which are known to eat away the entire crop within a short span of time, normally tend to prey upon crops and trees during evening, he said. The locusts, which live in solitude, change their behaviour and build up as a swarm and migrate depending upon environmental conditions. Similarly, they go back to their solitary habits. But it has not been able to ascertain the exact reasons for they going back into solitary habits, he added.
