The desert locust is considered the most destructive (Representational)
The Delhi government today warned of a possible locust attack and asked authorities to spray insecticides and pesticides on crops, vegetation, gardens and orchards.
India is battling the worst desert locust outbreak in recent times. Swarms of locusts first attacked Rajasthan and have now spread to Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
"As the swarm of locusts flies in daytime, and rests during the night, it should not be allowed to rest at night," said an advisory by Delhi Agriculture Department officer AP Saini.
Delhi's forest department is considering covering the saplings in its nurseries with polythene to protect them against the desert locust attack.
"It is not possible to cover the trees. We will at least cover the saplings in the nurseries," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Ishwar Singh said.
"Covering plants with polythene can also be counter-productive during this heat. So, we will do this only when we know for sure that the swarm of locusts is headed towards Delhi," the official said.
In Maharashtra, the Vidarbha region is seeing crop damage. Locusts have damaged orange crop and vegetable fields in some areas of Nagpur and Wardha districts. Farmers have been spraying pesticides and chemicals on plants and fields using truck-operated sprayers and fire extinguishers since Saturday.
The swarms, stretching up to 17 km, had first entered farms in Nagpur and Wardha on Saturday night.
Madhya Pradesh is also battling the biggest locust attack in the state in 27 years and is likely to grow till monsoon season. The pests entered through Neemuch district and travelled to different parts of the state.
Broadly four species of locusts are found in India - desert locust, migratory locust, Bombay locust and tree locust. The desert locust is considered the most destructive.
It multiplies very rapidly and is capable of covering 150 kilometers in a day.
This insect, a type of a grasshopper, can eat more than its body weight. A one square kilometer of locust swarm containing around 40 million locusts can in a day eat as much food as 35,000 people.
Experts blame the growing menace of desert locusts on climate change. They say breeding of locusts is directly related to soil moisture and food availability.
