Despite sightings of minor locusts swarm in Qatar, including at Katara Cultural Village and anecdotal reports from some malls, the situation seems to be under control.
Locusts are large herbivorous insects that can be serious pests of agriculture due to their ability to form dense and highly mobile swarms. They are species of short-horned grasshoppers that periodically form large populations in dense migrating groups, where individuals differ in several characteristics from those living separately.
A locust is held by researcher at the Department of Zoology at Tel Aviv University Faculty of Life Sciences, December 22, 2015. Reuters / Nir Elias
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment said they have launched “organised campaigns to combat with a tight plan of action implemented by field teams in various regions,” and the locusts “not a cause for concern” at the moment.
“In a number of areas that have witnessed a proliferation of it since last day, the teams are working according to an action plan aimed at trapping swarms and controlling them as quickly as possible, and have produced positive results so far, and the situation in various regions is good and reassuring,” one of the tweets by the ministry said.
The ministry called upon citizens and residents not to eat locusts that have been “spotted” in different regions of the country. It also asked farm owners not to consume wild plants, possibly because they maybe touched by the insecticides used for pest control.
In some parts of the region, cooked or baked locusts are eaten by people.
Read the story: Locusts boiled, baked or dried? Kuwait serves up a swarm
The ministry has a control room that operates round the clock and teams dispatched to areas like Abu Samra, Al-Shehaniya and Al Wakrah.
Farm owners and the general public were asked to inform the agricultural pest control unit of the agricultural affairs administration in the event of any locust swarms. Tel: 77438535, 44261728, 55448879.
Meanwhile, some pictures and screenshots are spreading through social media about the swarm. The Peninsula have found one with the mention of ‘Eastern Province’ and that was in no way connected to Qatar. It also carry the logo of Saudi Arabian public oil company Aramco.
News agencies have over a period of this week reported locusts swarm in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, India and Pakistan.