"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).
Israel’s Agriculture Ministry has set up a hot line for helping farmers manage the destruction wrought by swarms of locusts which Monday 4 March 2013 flew in from Egypt where they devastated crops. The swarm consists of an estimated 30 million insects. The first were seen in the Negev Kadesh Barnea area. The UN FAO sent out prior warnings to Egypt, Jordan and Israel.
Swarms of locusts are devouring Egyptian crops and Israelis are bracing for the destructive bugs to migrate their way ahead of the Passover holiday.
Swarms of locusts are devouring Egyptian crops and Israelis are bracing for the destructive bugs to migrate their way ahead of the Passover holiday.
An estimated 30 million locusts has been devastating crops in Egypt. This has fueled apocalyptic fears because
of the infestation’s proximity to the Bible story of Passover in which a swarm
of locusts, the eighth of ten plagues, was imposed on Egyptians by God for
enslaving and abusing ancient Hebrews.
| A swarm of locusts in Egypt |
Israel’s Agriculture Ministry set up an
emergency hotline and urged residents to be vigilant in reporting
sightings of the insects to prevent an outbreak.
A
special task force has also been set up to help farmers manage infestations.
The locusts pass through the country as
part of their normal migration from north east Sudan to Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian Agriculture Ministry
said, emphasizing that Egypt was
just ‘a fly over and rest stop’ for the locusts, which were in larger numbers this
year.
| Pink locusts invade Egypt |
The insects descended on
agricultural farms in Giza and in Cairo, causing significant damage. Fears have
been raised that the locusts could spread to Israel.
In a statement from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, the infestation was described as a ‘immature swarm’ which ‘appeared in the afternoon (on March 2) in the eastern Cairo districts of New Cairo and Mokattam and dispersed into several smaller swarmlets.
In a statement from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, the infestation was described as a ‘immature swarm’ which ‘appeared in the afternoon (on March 2) in the eastern Cairo districts of New Cairo and Mokattam and dispersed into several smaller swarmlets.
The statement read: "he locusts
originated from breeding that has been in progress since November in southeast
Egypt between Berenice and the Sudanese border."
| Desert Locust |
As vegetation dried out, small groups
and swarms of immature adults moved slowly north along the Red Sea coast,
reaching Marsa Alam on 8 February, Hurghada on the 16th and Zafarana on the
26th.
Besides Israel, Lebanon and Jordan
have been alerted.
In Cairo, people were burning tires to
create black smoke to deter the locust from settling. There were reports
that swarms had been seen in Zafarana, about 124 miles from Cairo, on the Red
Sea and in the city of Qena, where the insects have been sighted in at least
three villages.
According to the Israel National News, the Egyptian
Agriculture Minister Dr Salah Abd Al Mamon said: "Egyptian armed forces and
border guards are attempting to fight the swarm with all means at their
disposal."
"I ask the families living in the
locust-plagues areas not to burn tires. This does not chase away the locusts,
but only causes damage and could ignite large scale fires that would cost in
lives."
He said that strong winds were
predicted in weather forecasts and he hoped that this would force the insects
to migrate toward the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia. The Egyptians are going to use crop dusting planes to handle the infestation.
Egypt and Israel were infested with
locusts in 2004. The swarm of locusts was the first invasion since 1959.
Farmers
in 15 out of the 27 Egyptian governorates suffered significant agricultural
damage as the insects devoured crops and flowers.
This year Passover will begin on the
evening of March 25 and end on the evening of April 2.
| Yellow legged Asian hornet |
The infestation comes as a study warns
that yellow-legged Asian hornets that prey on bees are among the latest
non-native species threatening UK wildlife. The Asian hornet, which grows to between 2.5cm and 3cm (1-1.2 inches), preys on native honeybees, wasps and other pollinators, potentially devastating hives and threatening honey and crop production.
| A Spanish Slug |
A growing number of alien species,
from killer shrimps to Spanish slugs, are set to soon reach English shores, a
Europe-wide study warns.
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