This summer, Ukraine has seen an intensification of the seasonal phase of locust development. According to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Poltava region, the Moroccan locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus) and the Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus) are particularly active. These gregarious species damage the leaves, stems and flowers of various crops and can almost completely destroy crops during their flights: according to experts, yield losses sometimes reach 25-100%. Abnormal weather conditions have contributed to the massive reproduction of insects this year: extreme heat, lack of rainfall and dry soil have created “ideal conditions for the massive development of locusts”. In some southern regions, including Kherson, a special plant protection regime has been introduced due to the rapid spread of Moroccan locusts and Italian locusts.
Following the first reports of large locust infestations in southern Ukraine, local authorities and farmers are intensifying their monitoring of fields and fallow land. For example, in the Kushugum community of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, areas of increased activity of migratory pests have been recorded – up to 80 adults per 1 sq m. Experts note that locusts can migrate tens of kilometres per day, especially across the open steppe during strong winds. The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection is already warning that the situation could deteriorate sharply further north, in the central regions. In particular, Poltava region, which borders Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions, may well find itself “on the way” to the settlement of migratory locusts. So far, no pest outbreaks have been detected in the region, but experts urge farmers to be extra vigilant as locust infestations could appear at any time.
Read also: The environmental consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine
Current situation: regions under threat
Vadym Chaikovskyi, Deputy Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, confirmed in a recent interview that the most widespread locust infestation is recorded in the southern and frontline regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Dnipro and Odesa oblasts. In July, special plant protection regimes were introduced there, and fields and low-lying areas near the frontline are being actively surveyed. Outbreaks occur every year, but the war and the decline of the surrounding areas have made the problem much worse.
Read also: Beavers are back: a wild beaver is captured on a river in Wales for the first time in 100 years
Causes of the invasion: war, climate and ecosystem destruction
The main reason for the current invasion is the combined effect of increased temperatures, climate change, and the consequences of destroyed ecosystems near the front, including the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. Tchaikovsky notes that due to the shelling, birds, which are the natural enemies of locusts, are virtually non-existent in these areas, while the insects breed and migrate freely. He has repeatedly emphasised: “The locust invasion is a consequence of Russia’s ecocide against Ukraine, as well as against the environment on a global scale.”
Read also: Ministry of Environmental Protection calculates environmental damage from pollution of the Seym and Desna Rivers
Main types and harmful activity
Among the migratory locusts in Ukraine, the most dangerous are the Moroccan locust and the Italian locust. Both of these species are broad polyphages and attack most field crops. Experts note that locusts are a typical polyphagous species that primarily harms cereal crops such as wheat, corn, millet, sorghum, as well as reeds and legumes. On cultivated crops, it eats all the above-ground parts of plants, while on cereals it gnaws off the ears and can even eat juicy fruits. Due to this predilection for cereals and its wide feeding range, locusts can rapidly destroy crops, especially on arable land, pastures, along roads and forest belts.
Both pests have similar biological characteristics. The Moroccan locust, for example, forms yellowish flocking phases with long transparent elytra and striped hind legs. The Italian locust varies in colour from grey-brown to greenish-brown and also prefers dry, open areas such as steppes, slopes, roadsides and even abandoned quarries. Both species gather in huge groups: larvae form “wings” or mass feeding areas, and adult adults form flocks that can migrate over very long distances. In the case of epiphytoties, insects can travel tens of kilometres per day; in strong winds, there have been cases where flocks have moved more than 200 km in one day.
Read also: Nuclear disaster in Ukraine caused by Russia: Greenpeace’s detailed analysis
Scale of damage and migration
According to experts, there are already pockets of extremely high locust numbers in southern Ukraine. If no timely action is taken, even a few such outbreaks can destroy significant parts of the crop. The insects not only eat young plants entirely – for example, carrion and weeds – but also gnaw through the stems of mature crops, making the affected crops look “mowed” or “hailed”. In such circumstances, losses can reach critical levels: as the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection pointed out, insects can destroy 25% to 100% of the crop with rapid migration. Therefore, each registered outbreak is extremely dangerous.
In order to localise the pest, farmers and phytosanitary experts plan systematic surveys in vulnerable areas. It is recommended to carefully check fields and arable land, meadows, pastures and strips along water bodies, especially after sunrise (before 9:00) or in the evening (after 18:00) – at that time locusts are usually relatively quiet on plants. Any larvae or piles of pests found should be destroyed immediately with chemical plant protection products. In general, with a massive emergence of first instar larvae, chemicals are used when the density of several specimens per square metre is reached (about 2-5 of a gregarious species or 10-15 of a non-gregarious species per m²). The fight against herds should be carried out at an early stage of larval development (up to the third or fourth instar), while the insects have not yet fledged. Mobile “coolies” of young locusts are treated in an area 200-250 m ahead of the main front of the flocks, spraying in a spiral covering the entire width of the cluster. Treatments should preferably be carried out in the morning and evening, when the insects are on the plants, and only with insecticides registered in Ukraine.
Read also: Microplastics in the Danube. What a large-scale study revealed and how Ukraine fits into the picture
Legal requirements and actions in case of detection
Ukrainian plant protection legislation provides for an obligation to respond to new threats in a timely manner. According to Part 2 of Article 18 of the Plant Protection Law, all enterprises, organisations and individuals are required to regularly inspect their crops, land and plantations, and in case of detection of pests, inform the state authorities. In other words, detected locust infestations must be reported immediately to local plant protection services.
The consequences of inaction can be catastrophic: delaying the response leads to the rapid spread of locusts and massive crop losses. Experts emphasise that it is through the rapid localisation of outbreaks and the timely application of permitted protective measures that the “Kherson region scenario” can be avoided and the stability of the agricultural season can be maintained.
Read also: Russian shelling causes millions in environmental damage to Ukraine