Amid the COVID 19 virus pandemic, the second wave of the locust outbreak has began in East Africa. The region is still battling what they called the worst locust outbreak they have experienced in decades.
The locust invasion which began last year has started to stir up again with the raining season beginning. New locusts have begun to mature, gaining new wings and once they do, they can push the region into another food crisis.
Last month, Farmers in Kenya were reportedly trying to kill the larvae and growing locust on the farmland in an attempt to prevent a second wave of the Swarm consuming their crops. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have had the worst hit from the swarm in the first wave of the invasion.
The United Nations has predicted that if the locusts are allowed to mature, the second wave of the locust invasion could be 20 times larger than the first invasion and by June they could be 400 times bigger.
Locusts are actually a species of grasshoppers that develop the ability to fly long-distance and have been termed as one of the world’s most devastating migratory pests. A single locust can feed on 20 times It’s weight in a day.
The United Nations has also predicted that 25 million people in the eastern region of Africa would likely experience food insecurity in 2020 as a result of this locust infestation and since the pandemic outbreak, it could be worse.