Locust Watch
Locusts in Caucasus and Central Asia

N. 75 May 2021

Published: 17/06/2021

Moroccan Locust (DMA) fledging, mating and egglaying started in southern parts of Central Asia, where also swarm flights were reported, especially in areas near state borders. DMA hopper development continued in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russian Federation; in Georgia fledging already started by the end of May. Italian Locust (CIT) hatching and hopper development continued in Georgia and in Central Asian (CA) countries. Migratory Locust (LMI) hatching started in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. A dangerous situation was reported for CIT in Georgia while situation was classified as caution for both DMA and CIT in most countries. During the forecasted period, DMA breeding will continue and its lifecycle will come to the end while CIT and LMI hopper development will continue in Azerbaijan, Russian Federation and northern regions of Kazakhstan. CIT fledging will occur in other regions of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In total, more than 665 000  hectares (ha) have been treated in CCA from the beginning of the 2021 campaign to the end of May, which is 11 percent higher compared to the same period in 2020.