UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (UPI) -- Locusts that have been threatening croplands in Mali and Niger are likely to breed a larger generation by the end of summer, the United Nations warned Tuesday.
"Rains have already fallen in northern Niger and Mali. This will provide good breeding conditions and the possibility for a second generation in which large numbers of locusts could arise at the end of the summer," Keith Cressman, senior locust forecasting officer for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, said in a release.
"At that time, swarms could move to Mauritania, Algeria, Libya and even southern Morocco as well as threaten crops during the harvest period in the Sahel of West Africa."
The dense and highly mobile swarms of desert locusts can contain up to 30 million insects per square mile and can cover hundreds of square miles. Each insect can consume its own weight in fresh food every day, with even small parts of an average swarm capable of devouring the same amount of food in one day as 2,500 people.
"During the last three weeks, heavy rains fell in northern Mali and Niger, allowing the maturation of the Desert Locust adults that are now laying eggs in those areas. Hatching has started and will continue this month, causing locust numbers to increase further," the FAO said.
Efforts to control the pests have been hampered by insecurity along the border between Algeria and Libya, and some swarms migrated across the Sahara to Mali and Niger, the release said.
