Huge Swarms of Locusts Invade Kenya, Somalia

Swarms² of locusts⁴ have destroyed large areas of farmland and are threatening food security in East Africa.

Kenya is reporting its worst locust³ outbreak in 70 years. Billions of the insects have already destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of plant life across the country.

Record locust outbreaks have also been reported in Ethiopia and Somalia. The insects have also attacked parts of Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, is calling it East Africa's worst desert locust invasion in 25 years.

In Somalia, the government declared a national emergency because of locusts. It said the outbreak was presenting a "major threat" to the already weakened food security situation.

Airplanes have been releasing chemical pesticides⁶ to control the locust population. But officials have said they have limited money and equipment to fight the insects in affected⁷ areas.

UN officials have said they are worried that the swarms could spread to Uganda and South Sudan. They estimate that $76 million is needed now to widen efforts aimed at preventing further spread across East Africa.

The desert locusts – which grow to be about as long as a person's finger - produce young very quickly. They fly in large groups in search of food.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, an East African group, reports that locust swarms can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer. It noted⁸ that "the swarms migrate with the wind and can cover 100 to 150 kilometers in a day."

An average swarm¹ could destroy the same number of food crops in a day as could feed 2,500 people, the group added.

UN officials have warned that if the extreme outbreaks are not controlled, the number of locusts could grow 500 times by June.

Last December, Somalia suffered a locust outbreak that destroyed about 100,000 hectares of farmland. Government officials have warned that a second invasion will be even more destructive.

The current outbreaks followed one of the wettest years on record in East Africa. Heavy rainfall and warmer temperatures help the locust population grow.

Officials from the FAO say that even before the locust invasions, about 11 million people were experiencing food insecurity in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.

"Therefore, we need to make all possible efforts to avoid such a deterioration⁹," said FAO official Dominique Burgeon¹⁰. He spoke¹¹ to a Reuters news agency reporter after visiting two affected areas in Kenya.

In Somalia, conflict and instability issues have made pesticide⁵ spraying operations difficult, the FAO noted in December. In northern Kenya, five planes were releasing chemicals to fight the outbreak, The Associated Press reported.

Marcus Dunn is a pilot and the director of Farmland Aviation, a company which uses airplanes to drop pesticides and fertilizer on farmland. He told The AP the five planes should be enough to look over this part of northern Kenya for now.

However, he said if the locust problem increases in other parts of the country, "we are going to need some more assistance, because we just don't know how big this problem is going to be."

Words in This Story

swarm – n. a large group of things, usually insects, moving together

outbreak – n. a sudden or violent increase in activity; a rise in disease infection rates

pesticide – n. a chemical used to kill insects

migrate – v. to move from place to place

deterioration – n. the process of becoming progressively worse

instability – n. a lack of security

1 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

2 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

3 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

4 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

6 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

10 burgeon   

v.萌芽，发芽；迅速发展

参考例句：

• Seeds begin to burgeon at the commencement of spring.春天开始时种子开始发芽。
• Plants burgeon from every available space.只要有一点空隙，植物就会生根发芽。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。