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BANGKOK, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Soaring populations of insects carrying viruses that wreck rice crops are plaguing parts of Thailand, agricultural experts warn.
Grasshoppers that carry a virus that renders rice crops infertile are soaring in numbers in Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter. The Thai Ministry of Agriculture estimated that last year the insects caused roughly $275 million worth of damage to the rice crop.
Scientists measuring the population of the grasshoppers note that their migration in local areas has soared.
"The current situation is not good," K.L. Heong, an insect ecologist from the International Rice Research Institute, told the U.N.'s humanitarian news network IRIN from Bangkok.
Experts say the outbreak could cut the rice harvest by at least 30 percent, adding pesticides used on many fields are killing off the natural predators of the grasshoppers.
"Looking at the number of hoppers caught in light traps over the last two months, it's clear that a massive immigration has occurred," added Heong.
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