Control

Early reaction, i.e. adequate and timely response to locust infestations, is essential to prevent or limit damage to crops and rangelands, thus impact on food security, and to minimize impact of control operations on human health and the environment as well as financial costs of locust campaigns.

At an early stage of an outbreak, concerned areas, usually in natural vegetation and relatively far from crops, are indeed still limited and, often infested by hoppers only, able to form dense patches or bands, which are less mobile and more sensitive to pesticides than adults. Furthermore, as cropping areas are not under immediate threat, less hazardous but slow acting pesticides can be used. In fact, hoppers are usually the main target for locust control operations, which are carried out from spring to early summer.

Overall, control operations should be carried out by well-trained and well-equipped staff using updated and efficient techniques, such as Ultra-Low Volume spraying, worldwide recognized as the most efficient technology for locust control. It results in a well-delimited and homogeneous cover by well-calibrated droplets of a limited quantity of pesticide and vehicle-mounted sprayers can treat up to 300–400 hectares per day. It is now well known in CCA.

Alternatives to conventional pesticides have also become central to the FAO Locust Programme in CCA. Biopesticides, such as Metarhizium acridum, is highly effective with none too little impact on human health and the environment, they have been recently introduced under the FAO Locust Programme in CCA, with excellent results. As such, they are offering a perspective avenue for safer locust control, requiring further support for their use in locust control.

Monitoring control operations, i.e. their efficiency and quality, is important to improve control operations and adopt remedial action if needed. CCA countries have thus adopted a standard Spray Monitoring Form. Together with the standard Locust Survey Form, it forms the basis of the Automated System for Data Collection (ASDC), which feeds the Caucasus and Central Asia Locust Management System (CCALM).