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Agricultural experts are keeping a close eye on swarms of locusts eating their way across northern Africa although predict that even in the unlikely event of the insects reaching Israel they are ready to do battle.

Chief Entomologist and head of the Department for Protection of Plants Service at the Agriculture Ministry Zvi Klein said on Wednesday that swarms of locusts ravaging Morocco are unlikely to reach Israel.

"If there are no drastic changes we are not in danger," Klein said and added that reports of locust swarms in Lebanon are apparently unfounded. "We have of coursed prepared for the eventuality anyway and are ready with teams of experts".

Should clouds of locusts descend on Israel the ministry is ready to respond by spraying insecticides from aircraft to kill the creatures.

The locusts began swarming across north-east Africa in September devouring plant-life from Senegal to Morocco and Algiers.

Israeli authorities are in contact with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that is monitoring the locusts and Klein said the FAO calmed earlier fears that the locusts had reached Lebanon.

The locust swarms, which can range in size from one square kilometer to 100 square kilometers, are spread by the wind and in west Cyprus authorities used insecticides in an area where small movements of locusts were reported.

With up to 3000 locusts per square meter swarms have tens of millions of insects that consume vast amounts of food. Each locust can eat two grams of food a day, and experts reckon that every million locusts gobble as much food as 5000 people in one day.

"Locusts eat just about anything that grows; anything green," Klein said.
Although there are always locust populations in central Africa certain climatic conditions can allow a sudden increase, Klein explained.

Plentiful rain in North Africa during 2003 created ideal conditions for the female locusts that prefer to lay their eggs in soft damp soil.

However, Israel may not yet be in the clear. According to Klein the unusual rise in population this year could result in another outbreak in spring next year.

The last locust plague to hit Israel was in 1959, followed by a smaller incident in 1961.

 
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