Locusts sense moisture, moved away before it rained

Nagpur: A locust swarm has moved closer to Nagpur and was spotted at Suklikalar village of Hingna tehsil. Another swarm was found at Kohdi village in Kalmeshwar tehsil
The swarm that reached Kalmeshwar escaped the rains well in time. Rains could have been a natural ‘pesticide’ from the pests.
The locusts’ mobility is hit when it rains. The pest cannot fly and is also drowned or washed away if it rains heavily. Moisture also affects its metabolism, said Manoj Rai, director of Centre of Sericulture and Biological Pest Control. Rai specializes in locusts. He said the locust can also sense moisture and moves to drier areas as it cannot survive in highly moist areas.
An official of the agriculture department said the locusts had left the areas where it rained. The teams are preparing to spray pesticide at the villages in Hingna and Kalmeshwar said joint director agriculture (JDA) Ravindra Bhosle.
Bhosle said rains will also hamper spraying of pesticides as the chemical can get washed away due to rain water. Even otherwise, spraying is not done when strong winds are blowing, he said.
Throughout the day, it was expected the locusts may enter Narkhed tehsil, but they ended up reaching Kalmeshwar instead.
The swarm appeared to have split, due to which the size of the swarm has reduced. Locusts were also seen in parts of Saoner, the source said.
State home minister Anil Deshmukh visited the affected areas in Katol, where there was a locust attack on Saturday.
Deshmukh directed agriculture department officials to take necessary steps and also asked villagers to remain alert and make a noise so the pests can be shooed away.