MORE SWARMS FORMING IN NE ETHIOPIA

The locust situation remains serious in the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

As anticipated, new immature swarms began to form after mid-September in the summer breeding areas of northeast Ethiopia and most likely in adjacent areas of the northern highlands where hopper bands were reported. The scale of the breeding is not well known, and control operations could not be conducted due to insecurity. Although limited field operations began to resume in some areas by the end of the month, more small immature swarms will form in Afar, Tigray, and Amhara regions of Ethiopia during October. As vegetation dries out, they will migrate north through the highlands to Eritrea and the Red Sea coast as well as east perhaps through Djibouti at times to eastern Ethiopia and northern Somalia.

October rains that are expected in the Somali region of eastern Ethiopia and adjacent plateau and coastal areas of northern Somalia will allow the summer-bred swarms and the remaining spring-bred swarms to mature and lay eggs, giving rise to hatching and hopper band formation from about early November onwards. Similarly, any swarms that reach the Red Sea coast of Eritrea from northern Ethiopia are likely to mature and breed once winter rains commence.

Although limited control operations were carried out in the interior of Yemen, more small swarms are expected to form and move to coastal areas along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for eventual breeding. A few swarms may cross to northern Somalia while any swarms that reach the Red Sea coast of Yemen could continue to adjacent coastal areas of southwest Saudi Arabia.

Elsewhere, the situation is calm.

website link:
http://desertlocust-crc.org/Pages/Bulletin.aspx?DomainId=58&lang=EN&DId=0&I=0&CId=0&CMSId=800347
pdf link:
http://desertlocust-crc.org/Download.ashx?File=App_Uploads/Bulletins/Files/211004103331DL516e.pdf