image sourced from original article at Swarms of locusts have descended on the Canary Islands, prompting authorities in Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura to urge residents and tourists to stay calm. Videos circulating online show hundreds of the insects sweeping across the countryside, after they were reportedly blown in from Western Sahara by recent warm, wet weather.
Officials say the insects pose no immediate danger to people but are monitoring the situation closely due to the risk they could threaten crops if their numbers increase. Environmental services in Lanzarote have been mobilised for the next 48 hours to determine whether the locusts are exhausted arrivals likely to die off or if they begin reproducing, which could signal a larger outbreak.
The species, considered the world’s most destructive migratory pest by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, can form vast swarms capable of consuming huge quantities of crops each day. The islands have experienced damaging infestations in the past, including major episodes in 1954 and 1958 and another significant घटना two decades ago, though local leaders say current conditions and response measures should prevent a repeat of those crises.
